News

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…

Today marks 801 years since Magna Carta. A magnificent garden was created last year to celebrate the 800th anniversary.
Patricia Thirion and Janet Honour from A Touch of France Garden Design used the historic peace treaty between unpopular King John of England and a group of rebel barons to create a quintessential medieval garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year. Magna Carta, Latin for “the Great Charter” is a charter agreed at Runnymede in June 1215, first drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Magna Carta is considered one of the most significant political documents in English history, due to its influence on English law in subsequent centuries.
Law. Liberty. Legacy.
Three of the key principles of the Magna Carta are inscribed on a slice of historic yew tree trunk at the front of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Magna Carta garden. The slice of Yew was inscribed to relate to Magna Carta, with a link to the 2000 years old Ankerwicke yew growing near Runnymede meadow. It was placed in the front of the garden surrounded by wildflowers, supplied by Wildflower Turf.
The Magna…

Last Spring, a park was created in London for the first time in one hundred years.
3,850m² of a mixture of Wildflower Landscape Turf and Shade Tolerant Turf was taken to Greenwich Peninsula, to be installed by Gavin Jones. Alys Fowler teamed up with Thomas Hoblyn (clients: Knight Dragon), to create a biodiverse setting in an urban area. Not only did they use Wildflower Turf to create serene meadows on the banks, they installed boxes for bee keeping, apple trees and wild herbs. This project is a prime example of a state-of-the-art urban area introducing a more environmentally-friendly atmosphere to welcome all kinds of nature for the public to engage with.
The area was challenging, due to not only having high foot-traffic, but also containing contaminated soil and steep mounds, making installation on the banks complex. In this situation, the easiest option would have been to install lawn turf, however, Alys was determined to introduce biodiversity into the project, so wildflowers were the chosen solution.
The wildflowers flourished magnificently, despite the area having heavy public use at the opening event shortly after installation. We visited the site a year on to find the wildflowers still thriving. The…