News

We recently had some very interesting feedback from a landscape contractor who used our Wildflower Earth™ for the first time this year.
Jim Staveley MD of Greener Places Ltd based near Worksop in Nottinghamshire ordered 300m² of our Border mix Wildflower Earth for Herringthorpe Junior School, near Rotherham. This was installed on the 16th March 2017 and this project provides an interesting and informative case study.
Jim told us that in the autumn prior to installation, he did a comprehensive job of clearing the site of weeds using Glyphosate. The area, on a 45 degree bank, had been sown in 2014 with a colourful mix of native and non-native flowers but due to the weed seed burden in the soil, the bank soon developed a profusion of thistles and docks which the head teacher was very unhappy about.
Jim was asked to resolve the situation and looked at Wildflower Turf™ and Wildflower Earth as a solution. He chose Wildflower Earth as a way of lowering the cost, ensuring a good chance of success and to reduce his risk of the weeds taking over the area again.
Jim was very pleasantly surprised with the ease of installation. He set aside two…

June is a great time to spot and identify wildflowers, note where they are and consider collecting their seed at a later date when the plant matures and has developed viable seed.
Sowing the seed you have collected is a great technique to add species and increase diversity, but also as a remedial action to maintain and improve a wildflower space or meadow. Areas of bare ground provide an opportunity to introduce the same, or new species of wild flowers. You can use these techniques to enhance the species diversity you find in your meadow.

If you don’t, nature will fill any spaces with plants. Hopefully she adds what you would like from the seed of nearby flowers, but there may well be undesirables that are blown in from a neighbouring weed patch. So view any bare ground as an opportunity to enhance the species diversity, or alternatively deliberately create some bare ground to achieve the same.
Gently take the seed…

Wildflower Turf has been receiving a great deal of interest from Universities in recent months.  In May our MD James Hewetson-Brown was a key note speaker at the University Horticultural Officers Conference at Heriot Watt University http://bit.ly/2rlGmEd. However prior to this we have this great example…
In December 2015, Paul Evans, Head Gardener at Aberystwyth University placed an order for 476m² of Wildflower Border Non Native Turf http://bit.ly/2pTM0K6 which was delivered and installed in November 2016.
Paul has kindly shared with us images which show the story of his team completing the ground preparation i.e. ground clearance and then installation of bulbs from our bulb supplier, Jub Holland Bulbs http://bit.ly/2rhV3Zj before laying our Wildflower Border Non Native turf on top and giving it a good water in.  Underplanting Wildflower Turf with bulbs can extend the flowering season, creating more colour and interest when the turf is fairly dormant and encouraging with public engagement over the year http://bit.ly/2pU2m5j. The turf typically takes over from the bulbs when it flowers from May to September.
Site Clearance

October 2016 – Shrubs encroaching on path making pathway narrow and preventing light from the building…

THE RECENT PUBLICITY AROUND THE USE OF GLYPHOSATE HAS LED TO CONSIDERABLE PRESS COVERAGE AND DEBATE OVER THE USE OF CHEMICALS AND THEIR PLACE IN OUR TOWNS AND COUNTRYSIDE. OUR MD JAMES HEWETSON-BROWN LOOKS AT GLYPHOSATE WITH WILDFLOWERS, BIODIVERSITY AND WILDLIFE IN MIND.
The Glyphosate question
Glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup (the most common of many brand/trade names) has been in the spotlight for the last few years and is due for ‘reauthorisation’. The reauthorisation process involves reassessment of the safety issues surrounding the use of the chemical by the European Chemicals Agency and their recommendation is taken into account by the European Commission.
In advance of the vote, one recent study by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that Glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans” and this alarming report has led to a great deal of press coverage about the pros and cons of glyphosate together with the wider use of chemicals in the UK.
Other reports such as those from the World Health Organisation and the European Food Safety Authority say that Glyphosate is safe to use.
Glyphosate – getting the balance right for nature
With a background in farming as well as a profound love for wildflower environments, I…

Urban Wildflowers
Our MD James Hewetson-Brown explains the power of wildflowers when used in urban environments and their importance in green infrastructure design.
Quote – “WILDFLOWERS CAN PHYSICALLY LOCK IN HARMFUL PARTICULATES FROM EXHAUST EMISSIONS”
Wildflower meadows have continued to rise in popularity as more and more people become aware of the state of nature in the UK and the effect habitat loss is having on our wildlife.
There are few better opportunities for introducing a brand new wildflower meadow than in an urban environment.
For a wildflower space to really work it has to benefit people as well as wildlife. And any benefit must earn its keep. Providing pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies in an urban setting is highly laudable, but wildflowers offer many more opportunities than insect food alone. So in no particular order, here are some reasons for a landscape architect to include wildflowers in a design.

Pollution Mitigation
Recent work in the US and more locally at Portsmouth University, has demonstrated the benefit wildflowers can…

With Spring in the air (we can dream), February is a great time to focus on the year ahead and give your diary some love.
We’ve put together a round-up of the RHS Shows, key Horticultural Exhibitions we will be attending if you want to come and see us, and dates for our Accreditation Training and Open Days in 2017. Take a look and save the date!

RHS Shows

RHS Flower Show Cardiff  (7th – 9th April)
The first major outdoor show of the year is Cardiff. Held in Bute Park, celebrate the best of Springtime with inspiring gardens, demonstrations and talks.
Book here: http://bit.ly/2l3c7f4

RHS Malvern Spring Festival  (11th – 14th May)
Set against the backdrop of the magnificent Malvern Hills, The Showground is the venue for this festival of Spring, with much to inspire and enthuse.
 Book here: http://bit.ly/2l38ohr
 
RHS Chelsea Flower Show  (23rd -27th May)
Experience cutting-edge design and visionary gardens at this prestigious event. Showcasing the best in garden design and innovation, this year’s show will feature nine Show Gardens, five Fresh Gardens, nine Artisan Gardens and more than 100 floral displays.
 Book here:

Part Two of our festive gift-giving guide has arrived. After a brief mince pie break, we’ve checked our list twice and have come up with a list of inspired presents, from stocking fillers to, umm, a scythe.
Read on for some more festive inspiration….
RHS Chelsea Flower Show Tickets
The world’s most prestigious flower show will once again be showcasing the best in garden landscape and design in May 2017. Featuring Show Gardens, Fresh Gardens, and Artisan Gardens as well as glorious floral and horticultural displays, there is plenty of inspiration of offer. Tickets are already on sale but are selling fast.

Wildflower Turf
What to get for that person with everything? What about their own wildflower meadow? Create a stunning, low maintenance wildflower meadow that flowers from early Spring to mid-Autumn using Wildflower Turf. Providing a constantly changing landscape the seed mix has been chosen to give a high proportion of wildflowers as well as grasses, and this beautiful and biodiverse gift option is also a natural haven for bees.

Wildflower Identification Guide
Wondering…

It’s been a busy year and Christmas is just around the corner. The High Street is packed and sleigh bells are ringing but if gift-giving inspiration is proving elusive then you’re not alone. But never fear as the Wildflower Turf team have hand-picked the perfect list of potential presents for you to peruse.
From books to bee hotels we’ve got Christmas all wrapped up!
‘How To Make A Wildflower Meadow’ Reference Guide
Written by our very-own James Hewetson-Brown, this is the definitive guide to everything you need to know about establishing a wildflower meadow. Filled with case studies this pragmatic guide will provide you with everything you need to grow and maintain a beautiful flowering meadow.

The Hive @ Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
This year Wildflower Turf partnered with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to bring The Hive installation to life. Visitors to the attraction make their way through our lush and healthy wildflower meadow before entering the incredible 17 metre high structure that transports visitors to life inside a bee colony. This has to bee seen to be bee-lieved and entry to The Hive is…

Back in June we posted news that Wildflower Turf were proudly involved in the magnificent installation that is The Hive. And we’re thrilled to announce that the project has recently been shortlisted  in the ‘Design for a Temporary Landscape’ category at the prestigious Landscape Institute Awards.

So what’s the buzz on The Hive? Situated in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, The Hive is a 17-metre-high aluminium latticed structure that aims to raise awareness of the rapid decline of the world’s bee population.

Visitors to The Hive are first met with a lush and healthy wildflower meadow grown and supplied by Wildflower Turf Ltd. The link between the value of wildflower meadows in providing a haven for pollinators cannot be underestimated, and meadows play a vital part in supporting the ecosystem of bees.
To achieve the attractive, natural entrance to The Hive, both Landscape Turf and Border Turf were utilised within the surrounding garden, with a mix of non-native and native perennial wildflowers adding to the array of colour and biodiversity. If you visit now, however, you will see the wildflowers are at the end of their growing season and are soon to…

Wildflower Turf meadows require minimal maintenance. However, every Autumn your meadow will require a little attention and September and October is the ideal time to carry out the task of cutting if you have not already done so.
No two meadows will grow in exactly the same way or even at the same rate, with the mix of flowers and grasses that flourish varying year-on-year. This year we’ve seen the second warmest September since 1910, with temperatures above the seasonal average and sporadic rainfall meaning that some meadows may have accelerated their life cycle and gone to seed quicker, whilst others may have had an extended flowering season. So how best to cut?

Cutting can be achieved by either using a manual or powered scythe, hedge trimmer or strimmer and raking the clippings off to compost, or by using a flail mower such as a Profihopper and collecting the cuttings as you go. Once you have cut the tall, woody material, a good rotary mower on a high setting can be used to go over the area again to neaten it up and collect the final cuttings. Whichever method you choose, make sure…