From paper to flowers in six steps
Every sheet we make is packed with living seeds — wildflower mix or pure poppy. Here’s how to turn yours into blooms. No gardening talent required.
Tear it up
Rip the paper into stamp-sized pieces — more edges means more seed-to-soil contact.
Prep the soil
Fill a pot three-quarters with peat-free compost, or loosen a sunny patch of garden.
Lay it flat
Spread the pieces across the surface in a single layer.
Cover lightly
About 5mm of compost over the top — a dusting, not a burial. The seeds need to sense light.
Soak & keep moist
Water until the paper is saturated, then keep it damp every day while it breaks down.
Light & patience
Somewhere warm and bright. Shoots in 2–4 weeks; flowers over the weeks that follow.
When to plant
Spring & summer
Prime time — fastest germination and the biggest show of flowers.
Autumn
Works well — some seeds sit out winter and surprise you in spring. Wildflowers are hardy like that.
Any time, indoors
A bright windowsill grows seed paper in any month. Start inside, plant out when seedlings reach a few centimetres.
Growing, answered
Nothing after two weeks — normal?
Completely. Germination runs 2–4 weeks depending on warmth and light. Keep it moist and hold your nerve.
Nothing after four weeks.
If it’s been moist, bright and warm the whole time, email hello@plantablepaper.co.uk — we’ll send fresh paper. We’d rather you grow something.
Does the printed ink affect the soil?
No — water-based inkjet inks are laid cold and don’t affect germination or the ground.
What exactly grows?
Wildflower mix paper grows a bee-friendly spread of blooms; poppy paper grows poppies. Same planting method for both.
Can I keep the paper instead of planting it?
Of course — plenty of wedding invites live in frames. The seeds keep best for about twelve months if you change your mind.
Need more paper to plant? Seeded printing and blank sheets ship next working day when you order by 11am.