Disruptive wildflower brand Seedball launched its very first tin in 2013 bringing to market a product type that didn’t previously exist. Starting with a mission to create a wildflower gardening revolution to help reverse the decline of British wildflowers and wildlife that’s occurred over the last 50 years. In the decade since, the company has made a significant contribution to making growing wildflowers in the garden the norm, and is proud to have sold over 30 million seed balls, as well as partnering with an array of conservation trusts, and raised awareness about wildlife gardening, while continuing to advocate for the protection of our environment and wildlife.
To celebrate its 10th year, Seedball has created a new range of bee tins. The beautifully illustrated Great Yellow Bumblebee Mix, Short-Haired Bumblebee Mix and Shrill Carder Bumblebee Mix anniversary tins have been created to raise awareness about three British bee species that are in decline. Each tin contains 20 seed balls packed full of wildflower seeds that are beneficial to all bees, with statistics about each bee on the reverse.
With wonderful timing to fit in with their ten year anniversary, Seedball has been invited to exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show later this year, where it will be showcasing its impressive range of products on its stand themed to inspire others to ‘rewild their garden’, grow wildflowers and make a massive difference for wildlife (no matter how small their space).
Seedball started at founders Emily and Ana’s home, where they rolled seed balls by hand at the kitchen table and sold them at market stalls with the family dog, Rigby. Fast forward ten years and the couple now have a team of 30 people working from their headquarters near Finsbury Park, as well as three children and a second dog, Teddy!
As one of the first companies to support the peat free pledge, they have taken their role as a proponent of peat-free compost seriously, Seedball continues to manufacture all its seed balls using a variety of wildflower seeds, peat-free compost and clay, creating a sustainable and environmentally-friendly product range.
Seedball first entered the market with a range of six tin varieties, including its best-selling ‘Bee Mix’ and ‘Butterfly Mix’, which has now expanded to a catalogue of over 60 items featuring a variety of tins, grab bags, tubes, gift sets and much more. Its pioneering offering has created a new market and demand for seed ball-type gardening products, making it easy and enjoyable for anyone to fill their gardens and open spaces with wildflowers.
With its wildflower balls now stocked on the shelves of over 900 shops and garden centres, Seedball has also had the pleasure of sharing its products with the public in some incredible locations, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Natural History Museum, The Woodland Trust, Petersham Nurseries, Oxford Botanic Gardens and Highgrove to name a few. Many wildflower-rich areas up and down the country owe their new mixture of flora to these award-winning balls of seeds, peat-free soil and clay, providing countless benefits to the environment and wildlife around them.
From The Wildlife Trust, to Plantlife, the Butterfly Conservation and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Seedball has collaborated with several conservation organisations over the years. From producing seed mixes dedicated to wildlife species, to hosting workshops with leading scientists and educating users along the way about the importance of wildflowers for wildlife, Seedball has continuously led the way for conservation.
As a business that has helping wildlife at its heart, Seedball has donated a total of 3 million seedballs, enough to cover 20 football pitches! In 2022, Seedball collaborated with the BBC on its largest project to date, supplying over one million seed balls to schools as part of the ‘Green Planet’ TV Series hosted by Sir David Attenborough.
Seedball has had a fantastic decade and is looking forward to all that is to come this year and in the future. There is still a lot that needs to be done in terms of raising awareness of the importance of wildflowers and wildlife and this continues to be a prominent focus for Seedball.
Find out more about how Seedballs are made and how to use them here.
