Wild about Wildflowers!

The RHS launched Britain in Bloom in April with the first ever National Gardening Week. Between the 16th and 22nd April the RHS asked Britain in Bloom finalists and other community groups to encourage people to get gardening. They had a number of events taking place during the week and asked groups to get involved with sowing wild-flower meadows as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the RHS Wild about Wildflowers campaign.

In recent years a decline in wildflower meadows and similar habitats has added to the demise of pollinating insects, bees and in turn affected our birds. Sowing meadows on waste land, in urban situations or forgotten corners will help support our wildlife and restore their natural habitat.

The RHS offered support packets of wildflower seed to the community groups and we recieved 10 square metres worth of a cornfield seed mix. The packet includes plants like corn poppy, corn marigold, corn chamomile, corn cockle and cornflowers.

We asked the pre-schoolers to help us sow the seeds on Thursday 19th April, in the new flower bed by the entrance to the Woodland Walk. We've noticed that a lot of the seed has already germinated, which is brilliant because it will make what looks to be a bit of an empty flower bed at the top of the hill much brighter and more colourful than before and also attract bees and butterflies.

To read more about the RHS campaign and the Britain in Bloom launch follow this link; http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Community-gardening/Britain-in-Bloom/2012-Britain-in-Bloom-launch