News

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…

Caitlin McLaughlin, of Thrift Landscapes Garden Design, was recently awarded the RHS Young Designer of the Year Award and a Gold Award at RHS Tatton Park for her Nature & Nurture Garden. Built by Foxcroft Landscapes, the garden represents an urban nature reserve, creating a tranquil setting and giving the opportunity to relax in the city, emphasising the benefits of green spaces to human health and well-being.
The Nature & Nurture Garden is split into two recognisable parts. The hectic lifestyle that many experience living in cities is represented by the large beds of wildflowers surrounding the garden. Whereas the second section provides a calming, serene atmosphere, intended to block out the buzz of city life. This area leads across a shallow pond to a soothing seating area, situated on an island.
The thought-provoking garden was inspired by the hedgerows and wildflower meadows across the UK. The native wildflowers in the garden enhance biodiversity and are important for pollinators, as wildlife habitats, and for food security. The Nature & Nurture Garden proves that urban settings can be combined with rural environments, making it beneficial for nature and improving human health and well-being.
Caitlin…

Last week, the world’s largest annual flower show brought a burst of colour and vibrancy to Hampton Court Palace. RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, supported by Viking Cruises, was in full swing with various Show Gardens, the Rose Marquee, Floral Marquee, plant pavilions, and a variety of talks, presentations and exhibits. Wildflower Turf was featured in some of these beautiful Gardens, a few of which were presented Gold Awards.
The Viking Cruises Scandinavian Garden (Water Garden)

The award-winning Viking Cruises Scandinavian Garden was designed by Stephen Hall, and built by JDC Gardens. Sponsored by The Viking Cruises, the garden was inspired by the wild, natural beauty of the company’s heritage. A rowing boat beckons you across the water and nature is ever present in the form of sedges, ferns and grasses, while native trees and shrubs provide the backdrop. The Wildflower Turf covering the humble house exaggerates the wonderfully wild bio-diverse habitat.

Zoflora: Outstanding Natural Beauty (Show Garden)

Zoflora: Outstanding Natural Beauty, designed by Helen Elks-Smith and built by…

Over the weekend, hundreds of keen gardeners filled the NEC in Birmingham to hear from experts, browse exhibitors stalls and take inspiration from a number of superb show gardens. Wildflower Turf were delighted to supply turf to a few of the award-winning designers; Mosaic Design, The Gardenmakers and Halcyon Days.
Owen Morgan, of Mosaic Design, was awarded Best Show Garden and a Gold Award for the Health for Life Community Garden. The Show Garden supports the Health for Life programme, celebrating the use of community gardening as a device to engage with wider social issues. Funded by the Mondel?z International Foundation and delivered by TCV, the Health for Life in the community programme started in 2012 and has created fifteen community food growing spaces in south Birmingham involving 3,000 volunteers so far.

Not only did the Health for Life Community Garden look spectacular, it also hosted a range of fun activities for visitors to enjoy. They held live performances and children could partake in seed mat planting and healthy eating…

 

Standing under the 17-metre-high aluminum installation, The Hive displayed at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is more than just a sight to be seen. Created by Wolfgang Buttress, Simmonds Studio and BDP, The Hive is a feat of British engineering and formed the centerpiece of the UK Pavilion at 2015 Milan Expo. Wolfgang was inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Bencsik of Nottingham Trent University to design the glorious latticed structure.
Besides looking incredible, The Hive raises awareness of the steep decline of bees. EU research revealed that 29% of British honey bee colonies died in the 2012/13 winter alone. Pollinating insects are the secret heroes of agriculture and the structure highlights the importance of pollinators to our future food security.
Visitors are drawn into The Hive via a lush and vibrant wildflower meadow that Wildflower Turf Ltd were delighted to grow for the prestigious project. A mix of Landscape Turf and Border Turf were used within the surrounding garden, with a mix of bright annuals and native perennial wildflowers.
The multi-sensory elements of The Hive create an insight into life inside a bee colony. Not only will you hear buzzes and…

This blog will take you through the steps of maintaining a wonderful wildflower meadow over the summer months. If you are keen to find out even more about Wildflower Turf, look out for our book which will be published later on this year.
A single end of season cut is essential, however, you may feel one of the below mid-season cuts is appropriate.
Summer Cut – Suitable for Rapidly Growing Meadows
This maintenance cut is a little bit of a leap of faith as the meadow may well be looking at its best right now. Cutting with a strimmer with a hedge trimmer attachment is the perfect type of tool to use taking the top layer off, to a height of 20-30cms. The purpose of the cut is to take off a large proportion of the young green material that has not experienced leaf shatter – a very effective way of depleting nutrients. You will see plenty of flowering buds under this level and the flowers will be quick to re-establish. You must be quite sensitive when forking off the material from the meadow, raking is not advised for clearance. With this cut, you will definitely lengthen the flowering period of the meadow, whilst…