As part of our response to the Biodiversity and Climate Emergency, Thanet District Council launched a project to create wildflower meadows across the district.
The initiative was led by the council’s Open Spaces team with support from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, who advised on the scheme and provided funding for seed mixes.
The council has introduced wildflower meadows as they provide the perfect habitat for a wide variety of pollinators. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths are vital for our food, economy and environment, but sadly they are in serious decline. The loss of pollinators is a direct threat to our food supply and biodiversity in our gardens and countryside too.
In this first year of the initiative, the Open Spaces team identified seven sites for wildflower meadow creation and hopes to expand this in 2022. The initial areas include:
- Lymington Road, Westgate-on-Sea
- War Memorial banks, Westgate-on-Sea
- King Ethelbert’s School, Birchington
- Ramsgate Cemetery, Ramsgate
- Ramsgate Arts Primary School, Ramsgate
- St Laurence Churchyard, Ramsgate
- Tivoli Park, Margate – the largest of the meadows at 900 square metres
The team behind this initiative worked hard to coordinate each chosen area.
The areas were prepared by firstly removing the turf using a turf cutter. This reduces the competition from grasses and gives the seeds the best start on bare soil. The wildflower seeds (perennial meadow wildflowers, soft grasses and native cornfield seeds) were then sown by lightly raking them into the soil. This was carried out in the 2020 winter season and early spring of this year so that the meadows would flower in the summer.
In this first year, a wealth of flowers has been seen while the perennial plant layer is developing below.
To create an established meadow that returns each year, aftercare is key. After flowering has finished, seeds will be allowed to ripen, before the spent plants are cut and removed in Autumn. This is a natural way of allowing seeds to fall in the meadow for next year. Other seeds will be collected and possibly used on other sites to create further wildflower meadows next year.
In addition to environmental benefits, wildflower meadows offer a rich resource for environmental education, highlighting the connection of all living things. As part of this, we worked closely with Ramsgate Arts Primary School and King Ethelbert’s School in Birchington to develop wildflower meadows on their school grounds.
GRASS community group in Cliftonville has also contributed to the funding of meadow wildflower plugs which will be used for the creation of a new meadow in the autumn.
Karen Vost, Head of Art at Ramsgate Arts Primary School said: “The meadows planted have had an extremely positive effect on the school’s playground environment. Not only do they look beautiful and create a more stimulating view, they have also brought pollinators to the playground and the children are learning about this rich ecosystem.”
Adam Solly, Director of Houses, King Ethelbert School added: “The wildflowers have been a huge success. Our Year 7 gardening team helped to plant the seeds in our wild garden beds, in and around some existing saplings. The children have been amazed at how quickly they have flowered. The flowers have had a positive visual impact on the school grounds and we are delighted. We look forward to doing more projects using wildflowers next year. Thank you to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Thanet District Council and Westgate-on-Sea Town Council for providing us with the seeds.”
More local schools have shown an interest in taking part in the programme next year.
Councillor George Kup, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth Engagement Environmental Services & Special Project at Thanet District Council commented: “This has been a wonderful project led by the Open Spaces team and we have received a lot of positive feedback. The team has worked with a number of schools for the benefit of pollinators and conservation education which is also great to see. Wildflower meadows are critical for increasing biodiversity in the environment, in addition to creating beautiful open spaces for residents to enjoy. I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone involved.”
If you would like to create a wildflower meadow in your own garden or outside space, find more information, including details of the seed mixes that we used and tips for achieving a spectacular biodiverse garden.
If you are involved in a parish or town council and are interested in creating a wildflower meadow in your area, please contact our Open Spaces Team.