Why I started Ban Valley Wildflowers

What better time than when working from home, juggling childcare during a global pandemic to start up a seed company?

Being part of the Portglenone Sunflower Field experiment has been the most fun experience of my adult life. I learned so much about my town and the people who make it a great place to live. I learned that my neighbours love colour in their gardens and towns, they want to have wildflowers, butterflies and bumblebees.

The question was, how to get started when introducing wildflowers. Being in the Bann Valley, we are more likely to have more fertile soil that wildflowers have a reputation for not enjoying. I saw that the wide assortment of wildflowers at the Sunflower Field really opened my neighbours' eyes to what is possible in our area. It has been so exciting to see our friends dig up lawns and replace them with wildflowers, it certainly made joining in the Big Butterfly Count a lot easier.

So, why Bann Valley Wildflowers? Well, with Covid-19, the Sunflower Field 2020 was going to need some changes to operate. While in previous years, we could talk at length to visitors about wildflowers and growing tips we don't have the same luxury anymore. Some of our floral fans will be staying at home to stay safe and we want to make our quality, value for money seeds accessible.

As a family, we decided to formally separate the seed offering at the Sunflower Field. Setting up as a separate entity meant I could get a bit of head start in planning the seed offering, buy packaging in bulk to keep costs low and add simple growing information to each pack. I'm thrilled with the products we've got lined up, I can not wait to see them in gardens all over the country next year.

---