Wildflower seed mixes are practical and convenient tools for rewilding your yard or other green spaces. Their purpose is to introduce wildflowers into otherwise barren areas to attract pollinators and support biodiversity.
Still, one European caught on to a big issue with wildflowers they planted using a commercially sold wildflower seed mix.
They shared their experience on the subreddit r/gardening.
"Please check your wildflower seed mixes," they warned.
The Redditor sprinkled wildflower seeds from a mix into an unoccupied spot in their garden. A year later, they find themselves digging lupine, an invasive plant in central Europe, out of their garden.
The seed mix, which was advertised as environmentally friendly, has introduced a swarming invasion, one where the original poster must be cautious during removal to avoid regrowth completely by removing the roots.
To circumvent future invasions, the poster has decided not to purchase any more wildflower seed mixes.
"I will be collecting seeds from native plants myself this year and make my own seed mix," they said. "Very sombering experience."
The fact that a company sold seed mixes with invasive seeds while calling the product environmentally friendly is an example of greenwashing.
Greenwashing, according to the United Nations' climate action page, happens when companies mislead the public with labels like "green" or "eco-friendly." While wildflowers are eco-friendly, they are dangerous when invasive.
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Not enough time ⏳ While lupine is not invasive everywhere, the packaging should have been clear on which geographical locations the plants benefit.
Misleading packaging and a lack of clarity have left this Reddit user disappointed, as they were only trying to nourish pollinators to protect the world's food supply.
The terms wildflower and native plant, though, cannot be used interchangeably.
Penn State's extension page says that wildflowers are loosely defined as being plants that naturalize easily, and that wildflower seed mixes will likely contain invasive plant species unless specifically labeled as native to your region.
It is important to read labels before spreading wildflower mixes, and this Reddit poster is not the only person who has made the mistake of lacking diligence.
One said, "I bought a wildflower mix for the Northeast US. Some good stuff was in it but a majority of what dominated was invasive cornflower."
Another advised, "These days I don't buy mixes, I buy individual types."
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