Lady’s Bedstraw: Galium Verum

You can recognise this plant by the stunning clusters of bright yellow flowers which burst forth in the summer months and smell faintly of honey. When dried, Lady’s Bedstraw has a scent reminiscent of hay, and it used to be used to stuff mattresses, especially for women who were about to go into labour, which is probably how it got its interesting name. It was also commonly used to curdle milk to make cheese!

Black Medick: Medicago Lupulina

Also known as hop clover, this annual or short-lived perennial plant sprawls out along the ground and has small clusters of yellow flowers. The flowers are rich in nectar and attractive to bees; the blooms later turn into small black seed pods. Sheep like to graze on black medick, but cattle are not too fond of the taste.

Salad Burnet: Sanguisorba Minor

Salad burnet has a taste that is somewhat reminiscent of cucumber, making it a popular kitchen garden plant for use in drinks, salads, sauces and elsewhere. In the 1600s, English settlers took it with them to the New World where it quickly became a popular delicacy, and Thomas Jefferson was known to be a fan. He wasn’t the only one; Sir Francis Bacon suggested planting salad burnet along pathways to perfume the air.

Common Cat’s-ear: Hypochaeris Radicata

These bright yellow flowers can be found growing in grassy areas all over the UK, from roadside verges to parks and meadows. This plant has an impressive rosette of leaves, which means it is often mistaken for the dandelion. The common cat’s-ear can be frustrating for gardeners, as it uses its strong root to anchor itself to the ground before springing up on lawns.

Cornflower: Centaurea Cyanus

This annual plant is native to Europe and best-known for its striking blue flowers which bloom from late spring into early summer. The cornflower’s vibrant petals are a magnet for butterflies and bees. The flower is also called “the bachelor’s button”; possibly because they were commonly worn by single men and women hoping to find love, or maybe because they resemble buttons that require very little sewing!

Field Forget-me-not: Myosotis Arvensis

You might well spot these small, pale blue flowers growing by the side of the road, or else on dry, arable land. Field forget-me-not seeds should be sown in the autumn, so that they can flower in the spring and summer, attracting bees, butterflies and other insects. According to Greek myth, it is so-called because when Zeus was naming the plants, this little blue flower feared being left out and shouted, “Forget me not!”.

Ragged-robin: Lychnis Flos-cuculi

Ragged-robin gets its name from its pink flowers which look almost as though they have been shredded. The number of these star-shaped wildflowers is declining here in the UK. They grow particularly well in damp places, where they are a haven for butterflies, bees and other insects.

Self-heal: Prunella Vulgaris

Self-heal’s bright purple flowers grow close to the ground in meadows and grasslands as well as by the side of the road and on lawns. It is in bloom between June and October. As you might expect from the name, this small plant has long been used in herbal medicine to treat a number of ailments.

Bird’s-foot Trefoil: Lotus Corniculatus

Bird’s-foot trefoil is already a pretty great name, but this plant has many other exciting aliases, including “hen and chickens” and “eggs and bacon”. These colourful names refer to the plant’s red and yellow flowers. Its seed pods are reminiscent of a bird’s claws.

Yarrow: Achillea Millefolium

This hardy perennial has a slightly aniseed taste and can be made into tea; in the Middle Ages, it was used to flavour beer. Centuries ago, Yarrow was used to heal wounds and stop bleeding, but it was also thought to start nosebleeds, and still has the nickname “nosebleed plant”. Starlings and other birds use yarrow to line their nests.

Yellow-rattle: Rhinanthus Minor

This plant’s yellow flowers are in bloom from May to September. It makes a popular addition to any wildflower meadow, as it feeds off the nutrients in other grasses, reducing competition between species. Its seeds grow in brown pods which make a slight rattling sound.

Meadow Buttercup: Ranunculus Acris

Buttercups are a familiar sight around the world, with this species being particularly hard to miss with its bright yellow colour and also being referred to as the “giant” or “tall” buttercup. Commonly used by Native American tribes to treat headaches, this plant is characteristically found in grazed grasslands and prefers soil with intermediate drainage. While sometimes considered a problematic weed in mowed lawns, the Meadow Buttercup is a valued addition to wildflower meadows and one cultivated variety even has the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Red Campion: Silene Dioica

Native to the British Isles, this 5-petaled flower is commonly seen growing on roadsides, in woodlands, and on rocky slopes where there is damp soil. If you visit the Isle of Man you may hear it referred to as “blaa ny ferrishyn” or “fairy flower” and make sure not to pick them as it is a taboo to do so on the island.

White Campion: Silene Alba

Not to be confused with Silene Vulgaris, this wildflower is also commonly referred to as Bladder Campion. Across England it has gained further nicknames including “Grave Flower” or “Flower of the Dead” due to its propensity for growing on graves and around tombstones, likely due to a preference for open, sunny areas. Their nectar-rich flowers are a hotspot of activity for bees, butterflies, and other insects making them a perfect addition to at-home wildflower gardens.

Night-Flowering Catchfly: Silene Noctiflora

The Night-Flowering Catchfly is a tall, annual herb growing to 75-80 centimetres. While considered a weed in North America, this plant is native to the UK and grows in fields and in other disturbed habitats. Inversely to most flowering plants and as the name implies, the Night-Flowering Catchfly flowers after dusk to attract nocturnal insects using a very strong fragrance.

Wild Clary: Salvia Verbenaca

Wild Clary, or as it is also known, Wild Sage, boasts a distinct soft purple to violet set of flowers in summer. It grows in neutral to alkaline and requires full sun and uses its aromatic scent to attract pollinators. The famous scent lends itself to many culinary recipes, with Wild Clary often being used in a variety of dishes and steeped to make teas.

Ox-eye Daisy: Leucanthemum Vulgare

Ox-eye Daisy is a small, yet resilient flower and has the ability to thrive in diverse habitats. The yellow centre of the oxeye daisy is made up of many small flowers which hold nectar enjoyed by various pollinating insects, including butterflies, bees and hoverflies. A mature plant can produce up to 26,000 seeds that are spread by animals, vehicles, water and contaminated agricultural produce, and some seeds remain viable for up to nearly forty years.

Common Knapweed: Centaurea Nigra

Black Knapweed, a native UK wildflower, is recognised by its distinctive bright pink and purple, thistle-like flower heads. It's a superb wildlife plant as the flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, and attract bees, moths and butterflies such as the Marbled white butterfly. It’s seeds are popular with birds like goldfinches.

Common Sorrel: Rumex Acetosa

Sheep’s sorrel leaves look a little like spinach, and they are widely used in salads or as a garnish. The plant has a citrus taste, so it features in both sweet and savoury dishes. Sheep’s sorrel grows quickly and has small, red flowers which are pollinated by the wind.

Common St John's-wort: Hypericum perforatum

As a metre-tall flowering plant with distinctly black-spotted yellow petals, St John’s-wort is hard to miss. This plant produces a number of highly active chemical compounds which range from being harmful deterrents to large herbivores, to being extremely useful in a variety of medicines and being used as far back as the first century AD. While St John’s-wort tries to deter mammals, a number of insect species rely on it as a food source. Chrysolina hyperici, aptly called the Saint John's-wort beetle feeds on St John’s-wort and related plants.

Tufted Vetch: Vicia Cracca

Tufted Vetch is known for its vibrant purple flowers and can be seen on grasslands, scrubland, woodland edges and the coast. Like other Legume plants, including beans and peas, Tufted Vetch has nitrogen-fixing properties which enrich their surrounding solis. Nitrogen is an essential part for plant growth and most plants rely on the availability of nitrogen in the soil to survive.

Red Clover: Trifolium pratense

As with all clovers, Red Clover is part of the bean family Fabaceae and native to Europe, Western Asia, and parts of Northern Africa. Despite the name, the Red Clover boasts dark pink flowers and is extremely popular both with many types of bumblebees as a food source and people as an ornamental plant. The flowers are edible and can be used as a garnish or ground into flour. It is also extremely valued as a fodder crop as it increases social fertility by nitrogen fixation.

White Clover: Trifolium Repens

Another very common and extremely popular clover, the White Clover is globally cultivated as a forage crop and is being used as a model organism for research into ecology and urban evolution. It grows well as a companion plant among lawns and easily tolerates mowing and grazing. It is considered beneficial to lawn care and pasture management due to its ability to fix nitrogen which reduces the incidence of some lawn diseases and it can out-compete weeds.

Betony: Stachys officinalis

Deriving its name from the Greek “stachys” meaning “ear of grain,” the commonly called Purple Betony has a spiked shape inflorescence (the arrangement of the flowers on a plant). Purple Betony has a long and detailed history, even being referenced in Pliny the Elder who claimed it was 'a plant more highly esteemed than any other.' Showing up in numerous books over the millenia, many uses for the plant have been described such as: having dream-controlling properties, an old remedy for arthritis and gout, being used to make wine and holy water, and witchcraft.

Wood Sage: Teucrium Scorodonia

Wood Sage is an evergreen plant that resembles the common sage, but is not as fragrant and thus less popular as an herb in cooking. It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in home gardens and is very popular amongst sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. It is even the host plant of one specific species - the Wood Sage Flea Beetle, Longitarsus membranaceus.

Devil's-bit Scabious: Succisa pratensis

A bright-purple flower with a variety of medical purposes, the Devil’s-bit Scabious is both a beautiful garden addition and useful to have around. It differs from other Scabious species by having five-lobed flowers instead of four-lobed and prefers damper soil. Folk tales claim the name is from the short black root being bitten off by the devil. Across the British Isles it is found growing in grasslands, hedgerows, marshes, meadows, and pastures. Devil’s-bit Scabious is wonderful for local biodiversity as it gets frequented by many types of insects, with hoverflies in particular being a preferred visitor. It is the larval food plant of two rare species: the marsh fritillary butterfly and narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth, and sites with their presence are carefully managed.

Sneezewort: Achillea ptarmica

Agrimony: Agrimonia Eupatoria

Agrimony is a herbaceous plant with slender spikes of small yellow flowers. It is mentioned in ancient medicinal texts by herbalists like Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder, and Shakespeare mentions its ability to ward off sleep and nightmares in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Its leaves emit a pleasant fragrance

Marjoram: Origanum majorana

Wild marjoram, loved by bees, other pollinating insects and humans alike, can be found on chalk or limestone grassland, hedge banks, woodland rides and scrub. Often called oregano in Europe, marjoram is best known as a pizza herb, and is important in both Greek and Italian cuisine. Wild Marjoram has been traditionally used to treat colds, indigestion and stomach upsets.

Chive: Allium schoenoprasum

Chives are relatively easy to grow and are suitable for both garden and container cultivation. They prefer well-drained soil and thrive in partial shade to full sun. Chives are delicious in food and will attract pollinators to the garden. Being from the onion family, their strong scent can repel certain garden pests, acting as a natural deterrent.

Fennel: Foeniculum vulgare

Fennel is rich in Vitamin C, potassium and fibre and is a member of the carrot family. It is a highly aromatic herb with feathery leaves and yellow flowers. Both the bulb and the feathery leaves are commonly used in cooking.

Lavender: Lavandula

Lavender is renowned for its fragrant flowers, which are typically shades of purple, blue, or pink. The essential oils in the flowers give lavender its distinctive and relaxing scent and is often used to aid restful sleep. Lots of bees love lavender during the Spring and Summer months, particularly the bumble bee as it has a long tongue, better adapted to the tubular shaped flowers.

Rosemary: Salvia rosmarinus

Rosemary is known for its fragrant, needle-like leaves. The leaves contain essential oils that give the plant its distinctive scent, which is often described as a mix of pine and citrus.Rosemary requires little maintenance during the year except cutting back after flowering to prevent plants becoming straggly and woody.

Oregano: Origanum vulgare

Oregano plants are low maintenance and can be grown in garden beds, containers, or even as a decorative and aromatic ground cover. Often used in Mediterranean cooking, Oregano has an earthy and slightly bitter flavour. Easy-grow plants like oregano are a great way to introduce children to gardening.

Common Bent: Agrostis Castellana

This slightly wispy, bristly perennial grass grows quickly. It is also known as highland bent, and is often found on roadsides or in wildflower meadows. Common bent is what is known as a hyperaccumulator of zinc and lead, which means it can grow in soils with a high concentration of those metals.

Crested Dog’s-tail: Cynosurus Cristatus

This common perennial grass grows in tufts in lowland areas where there isn’t too much water. Crested dog’s-tail is stiff and used to be used for making bonnets. It germinates quickly but takes quite a while to grow, so it doesn’t compete against and dominate other species in the wildflower meadow.

Sheep’s Fescue: Festuca Ovina

This narrow-leaved grass grows in tufts and is slightly spiky in appearance. It fares well in loamy soil and is often found growing in pasturelands where, as you might expect from the name, sheep like to graze on it. Sheep’s fescue has very dense bunches of roots, which makes it tricky for weeds to take hold nearby.

Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass: Poa Pratensis

This perennial grass species likes to grow in fertile, well-drained soil. It is a valuable pasture plant and is often used to make lawns in parks and gardens. Poa pratensis is also known as Kentucky bluegrass, and in the USA, it is used as a playing surface in both American Football and Major League Baseball.

Small-leaved Timothy: Phleum Pratense ssp Bertolinii

This grass is named after Timothy Hanson, an American farmer who introduced it to the United States in the early 1700s. Timothy grass is a common trigger for those who suffer from seasonal allergies, but its pollen has been used in the development of a hay fever vaccine. Timothy hay is a popular treat for many animals, from small pets to thoroughbred racehorses.

Red Fescue: Festuca Rubra

This grass is named after Timothy Hanson, an American farmer who introduced it to the United States in the early 1700s. Timothy grass is a common trigger for those who suffer from seasonal allergies, but its pollen has been used in the development of a hay fever vaccine. Timothy hay is a popular treat for many animals, from small pets to thoroughbred racehorses.