You may have noticed this year that we have been hard at work in the fenced off wildflower meadow area. A new volunteer team member, with experience of helping to restore wildflower meadows in the Netherlands, generously donated the seeds and consulted with colleagues at Wisley in order to put together a programme of work for us.
The major problem to overcome was that the existing ground was too fertile to produce a viable meadow. The expert advice: take up the grass. Our work began in April when we removed the turf and then raked the soil to remove stones and obstructions. The area was then left for a few weeks before the first batch of wildflower seeds were sown. In the autumn a second seeding will follow to fill any gaps and to make a complete cover.