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A question we are often asked is, “What is the potential longevity of my wildflower meadow?” And our answer is, “It will be indefinite, if maintained well!”
Ten years ago, we worked with Accredited Partner Bill Welling from Lawn Man to enhance Ashley Manor in Hampshire and we were delighted to recently receive an update from Ashley Manor Head Gardener, Olly Samways. A decade on, the Ashley Manor meadow continues to thrive and delight.
Ashley Manor is a Grade II listed building, situated in the Test Valley. The original landscaping project was to cover the fairly steep banks to the rear of Ashley Manor with Wildflower Turf. The banks were south and west facing, in two tiers, and the Test Valley location meant they had chalky soil with only a thin layer of top soil to work with.

In September 2008, 655m² of Wildflower Turf was laid and, despite the challenging profile of the banks, the turf went down well and did not require any pegging. The September installation also meant that the turf did not require any additional watering.

With this year’s International Day of Peace falling on September 21, we were thrilled to attend the opening of a very special local garden in the Basingstoke War Memorial Park.

The overriding aim of the Peace Garden Project is to create a lasting celebration of peace and reconciliation which will provide a relaxing space in memory of all who suffered in past conflicts and which reflects hopes for lasting peace in the future.

The garden features a circular paved space with a central metal sphere, and pebble seating and benches surrounded by trees and wildflowers. Ten peace plaques designed by local schoolchildren have also been set into the ground.

The garden project was conceived in 2014 during the time of the commemoration of the centenary of the start of WW1, with project volunteers working closely with Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council to design the space.
Funding was raised via the Council’s Local Infrastructure Fund, as…

 Among their many benefits, the aesthetics of wildflowers and the associated joy that they bring cannot be understated. We were reminded of this recently during a conversation with Ewan Stutt, founder of the charity, Parkinsons.Me.
Joined by a group of committed volunteers, Ewan is the driving force behind the Parkinsons.Me Therapeutic Community Garden.

Located in West Lockinge, Oxfordshire, this community garden project has been two years in the making and was officially opened by Paul Mayhew-Archer (writer, producer, and script editor for the BBC) on Saturday, 15th September 2018.

Ewan himself was just 41 when, in 2013, he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. Ewan subsequently founded Parkinsons.Me, a charity established to offer positive support and advice to families affected by Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease, which mainly affects people over 50, is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years. Many people associate three motor symptoms with Parkinson’s; the tremor, slow movement and stiff inflexible muscles. However, many hidden symptoms such as loss of smell, anxiety, and…

As the leading supplier of Wildflower Turf products in the UK, we are passionate about supporting and encouraging action that promotes and improves biodiversity within the urban environment.
 To this end we’re delighted to announce that, as in previous years, Wildflower Turf Ltd will be the overall prize sponsor at the CIRIA BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards.  Now in its 5th year, the BIG Biodiversity Challenge invites the construction industry to add at least one new biodiversity enhancement to construction sites, developments or existing buildings.
With 2018 entries drawn from the likes of Skanska, Network Rail and Scottish and Southern Electricity, just to name a few, it is clear that engaging with the biodiversity agenda is of great concern, and indeed importance, to organisations up and down the country.
With voting (http://www.bigchallenge.info/2018-shortlisted-entries) for this year’s BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards now open, we thought it an opportune time to bring you a brief update on how last year’s overall winners, The RG Group (http://rg-group.co.uk/), utilised their prize.

The RG Group are construction specialists primarily focussed on the Living Space, Retail and…

The second installment of our tale of a community that has come together to transform their communal space. And won a Green Flag Community Award to boot!
The Katherine Buchan Meadow in Ealing, London had received enough funding to ensure that the key elements of their rejuvenation project were able to be completed. So where next for the project team?
With funding from Ealing Council’s “Transform Your Space” programme now confirmed, further community consultation was undertaken by the project team of Amanda and Sim, and landscaping preparation was able to be finalised.

Central to the green was a large mound. Delving into the annals of local history revealed that the mound itself dated from the 1970’s, but the resulting rubble contained within was dated much earlier. In 1876, four Alms Houses for single women of the parish were built by one Katherine Buchan, in honour of her father, also a local charitable figure.
When these Alms Houses were demolished in 1976, the resulting rubble was disposed of nearby, with the surrounding area turned into a green space. (Fittingly, the new meadow is…

Receiving news last week that the Katherine Buchan Meadow in London has been awarded a Green Flag Community Award, we thought it was high time we featured the story of how this delightful meadow came about.
The Katherine Buchan Meadow in Ealing, London, is testament to what can be achieved when a local community comes together with a shared desire to enhance their local environment.
Once a bustling and busy, yet very neglected space within the Old Hanwell conservation area, the green has been transformed into a beautiful wildflower meadow which has become a local hub for those who live and work nearby.

With a location close to Ealing’s St Mark’s primary school and boasting a historical Victorian church building as a backdrop, the meadow has sympathetically transformed the space into which it has been installed.
Previously the area was treated solely as a thoroughfare; dog walkers, locals on their way to or from work, children and the families rushing to and from school, and local residents on their way to the nearby canal or local allotment all rushed through the green….

The Wildflower Turf Ltd team are very proud to see our Hampshire-grown wildflowers playing their part in the regeneration of Canning Town as part of London’s ambitious Crossrail project.
Set to open in December 2018, Crossrail will deliver a high frequency, high capacity service to make travelling in the capital quicker and easier while also easing congestion and reducing crowding on London’s transport network.
Working with one of our landscaping partners, Turney Landscapes Ltd, our very own Wildflower Turf is now capping the emergency exit shaft of the Crossrail site in the Limmo Peninsula.

As Crossrail’s primary worksite for their eastbound tunnel boring machines, the Limmo Peninsula area adjoins Canning Town underground and Docklands Light Railway station and is next to the River Lee.
Overlooked by high-rise developments, a key consideration in planning for the Limmo Peninsula area has focussed on ensuring biodiverse solutions that provide commuters, local workers and Canning Town residents alike with a landscape that is as aesthetically pleasing as…

With longer days on the horizon and Easter now almost upon us, you’d be forgiven for thinking that spring, that much lauded of seasons, is just around the corner. We can only hope!

After a long winter many of us yearn for some time spent outdoors in nature but what happens when we lack this most basic commodity?
The term “Nature Deficit Disorder” has been around since 2005, but the phenomenon has only recently started to make headlines.
The term itself refers to a trend towards an increased alienation from the natural world, brought about by our increasing dependency on electronic devices and a loss of natural surroundings. Specifically, it is the costs of such an alienation that is sparking concerns.

While not a medically recognised disorder as such, the term is beginning to gain some prominence, with Dr Ross Cameron of the department of landscape at Sheffield University recently addressing The Royal Horticultural Society on the subject.
“As biological beings we are physiologically adapted to be in certain environments – to run, to play, to hunt, to be active basically,” says Dr Cameron.
The…

With UK construction and associated infrastructure continuing apace, a new development in Berkshire has been a recent project for Wildflower Turf Ltd.
Buckler’s Park in Crowthorne, Berkshire, is located on the former Transport Research Laboratory site and is comprised of 1,000 high-quality, contemporary-styled homes.
Adjacent to a new country park and with over 100 acres of parkland and open space, several key areas of the site are now enhanced with wildflowers provided by Wildflower Turf Ltd.

The developers of Buckler’s Park, Legal & General Homes, have aimed to provide a sustainable environment that is in keeping with the natural areas that border the development. To ensure a seamless transition, Legal & General Homes specified wildflowers within the designated Public Open Space area of their design and contactors, Benchmark Grounds Maintenance Ltd (http://www.benchmark-gm.co.uk/) contacted Wildflower Turf Ltd for advice and assistance.
In November 2017, Wildflower Turf Ltd supplied 950m² of Border Non-Native turf to the project, with installation completed by Benchmark Grounds Maintenance Ltd.
Border Turf – Picture supplied by Benchmark Grounds Maintenance…

Never one to let the grass grow under our feet (!) the Wildflower Turf team have been delighted to assist the University of York enhance their environment as they work towards the completion of new campus facilities.
The University commenced work on the construction of a new building, The Piazza Learning Centre, in Autumn 2015, with the project due to be completed next month. Containing a range of high-quality learning spaces and facilities for those living and studying on the University’s Campus East the new building will offer, among other things, a 350-seat auditorium and a large restaurant with fantastic lake views.

At the outset of the project, the University of York had a very clear and practical biodiversity plan, developed in conjunction with Gordon Eastham (Grounds Maintenance Manager), for the picturesque lakeside campus where the Piazza Building was to be built.

This part of the campus is a definite natural asset to the University and, whilst…