Category: Earth
Ragged Robin, Vipers Bugloss, Birdsfoot Trefoil, these lyrical, poetical names so unfamiliar to us today are the common names of wildflowers that a hundred years ago, most country children could easily find in a meadow. It was a time when you could wander through a cloud of butterflies and a vibrant soundscape of buzzing bumblebees, loud enough to drown out birdsong. Since the middle of the last century, wildflower meadows, bees, butterflies and birds have all but disappeared, and most of us live in cities where meadows are few and far between.
Into this void steps River of Flowers, a social enterprise which works in partnership with community groups to create wildflower meadows in urban spaces. These urban meadows not only benefit the wild plants, they also provide food for bees and other insect pollinators, vital for our own food supply. Wildflowers are good for us too! A wildflower meadow creates a conversation with nature, helps us to be more in the open, walking, exercising, working and playing in the fresh air, and it encourages people to be more sociable.
River of Flowers encourages overgrown lawns and wildflowers spilling out of front gardens, from roundabouts and rooftops. To bring the ‘meadow’ to the city, River of Flowers is launching the Pop Up Meadow, a living tapestry of miniature meadows that showcases a variety of wildflowers most city dwellers rarely see. Each tiny meadow or Urban Meadow Kit contains perennial pollen and nectar-rich wildflower plug plants grown in a recycled biodegradable box that can be planted directly into the ground or any large garden container. The Kit comes with a packet of enough seeds to make a small meadow roughly the size of a dining room table in the hope that these will be donated and dispersed to different areas of the city, creating new urban meadows to join the ‘river’ of flowers. The Pop Up Meadow can be seen at the following festivals where River of Flowers will be appearing this summer. Get involved. Find out more at the River of Flowers website.
15 May Diamond Jubilee Festival: Richmond Park
19 May–20 June Meadow Up Your Street: Chelsea Fringe Festival Islington & Kingston
9/10 June London Green Fair: Camden
21 July London Permaculture Festival: Camden
1 July Honey Feast: City of London Festival