wildflowers - LJN Blog Posts - Landscape Juice Network2024-03-29T11:47:55Zhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/wildflowersNewquay Natives Prevailhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/newquay-natives-prevail2022-04-20T09:05:36.000Z2022-04-20T09:05:36.000ZFusion Mediahttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/FusionMedia<div><p>A bespoke wildflower mixture consisting of native Cornish flowers has helped Newquay Golf Club scoop Syngenta’s annual Operation Pollinator Award.</p><p>The aim of the Golf Environment Awards (GEAs) is to recognise, reward and promote outstanding individuals and golf courses, no matter how big or small, for the time and effort they have put into protecting and preserving their unique surroundings.</p><p>The Awards consist of four categories - Environmental Golf Course of the Year, Conservation Greenkeeper Award, Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year, and the Operation Pollinator Award.</p><p>“I was hesitant at first because I saw what some of the other amazing courses had achieved and I wasn’t sure if we stood a chance,” said Dan Kendle, Course Manager at Newquay Golf Club. “However, a few people encouraged me to enter, and we were selected in the Operation Pollinator category.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10402913667,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10402913667,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="10402913667?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a>“Just being included in the list of finalists was an achievement, but to go on and win it was mind blowing. It is something I am passionate about and my background before greenkeeping was conservation so I’m always trying to combine the two.”</p><p>The Operation Pollinator Award celebrates golf clubs that consistently deliver outstanding ecological habitat creation and management to benefit pollinating insects. Amongst other ecological activities on the course, Dan also impressed the judges by introducing native wildflower areas.</p><p>“I first spoke to David Bevan at Agrovista Amenity to explain what I wanted to achieve, and it was at this point he brought in Matt Gresty (MM and Designer Sales and Brand Manager for DLF UK). I explained that I didn’t want just a standard mix of wildflowers and that I wanted flowers that are native to my site. Matt went away and put together a wonderful mix and that was one of the main reasons we won the award.”</p><p>Appropriately named the <em>Newquay Wildflowers</em>, the mixture contained 24 flower species including Vipers Bugloss, Yellow Rattle, Common Toadflax, Dark Mullein plus five various grass species. Dan and his team created the first area in autumn 2020, and then started rolling it out to other areas on the course.</p><p>Not only have they provided a rich, colourful, and diverse ecological habitat but they have also wowed the public and members by offering great aesthetic value.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10402914053,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10402914053,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="10402914053?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a>“We’ve seen a huge increase in the numbers of different butterflies and bumblebees, and we have also been getting rare species of birds including the Cornish Chuff. I record everything on the course, and we’ve had 8 species that are on the red list. It really is wonderful to see the course so alive with wildlife.</p><p>“The feedback has been fantastic too,” continued Dan. “We have a public footpath that runs right through the course, and one of the wildflower areas is in full view. So many members of the public have been stopping to take photos, and have been asking questions, so we gladly tell them about Operation Pollinator. The members are also on-board with the project and can really see the benefits.”</p><p>The ever-modest Dan was also quick to acknowledge the support of those around him and revealed that he plans on further extending the wildflower areas.</p><p>“Winning the award still hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “It is as much for my team as it is for me – and they should be proud of themselves. David and Matt have been helpful and I’m looking forward to working more closely with them as we create more wildflower areas.</p><p>“Awards such as these are incredibly important because there is still this stigma that golf courses are sterile environments pumped full of chemicals, but that could not be further from the truth. Look around the country and you can see what golf courses are doing now - it’s amazing. I’m delighted to be a part of it.” </p><p>For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s new website <a href="http://www.mm-seeds.co.uk">www.mm-seeds.co.uk</a></p></div>Henley GC splashes some colour into the coursehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/henley-gc-splashes-some-colour-into-the-course2017-02-13T13:16:59.000Z2017-02-13T13:16:59.000ZFusion Mediahttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/FusionMedia<div><p>By using a range of Limagrain Colour Splash flower mixtures, Jim Griffith - a 68 year old retired teacher, has injected some stunning colour into the course at Henley Golf & Country Club in Arden, Warwickshire.</p><p>After taking up golf 18 years ago, Jim became a member of Henley Golf Club and soon made the most of retirement by playing regular rounds on the course which is set within the grounds of a 200 acre estate of landscaped parkland. Three years ago Jim started taking more of an active role at the club by helping out around the course, cutting back hedges, trees, seeding, planting and other general maintenance tasks, before he was then joined by other club members wishing to volunteer.</p><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314787401?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="450" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314787401?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="450" class="align-left"/></a>“This year our volunteer numbers have swelled to 14,” says Jim. “We call ourselves the ‘Ground Improvement Team Seniors, or GITS for short and generally help out after playing. Some days I can call upon six or more.”</p><p>Showing great dedication for their club, the volunteer group decided that the course would benefit from an injection of colour. Having seen the nearby Gaudet Luce Golf Club with a stunning array of flowers, Jim sought the advice of the course manager who then passed on the details of Limagrain.</p><p>“Keen to get started in February 2015 we met with Matt Gresty of Limagrain who gave us further ideas, brochures with various seed mixture products and costs. We then identified areas around the golf course for potential flower cultivation. After working out potential costs we were given the go ahead by management and ordered a variety of seed on Matt’s recommendations – Festival, Honey Bee, Aurora and Bio Diversity two year mix.”</p><p>With the products in place, Jim and the team started the project by rotavating before seeding in May 2015. A couple of months later and Jim was soon reporting excellent results.</p><p>“Worried about what was weed and what was flower I invited Matt to see our early results in June and to identify weed from flower. Though time consuming, we managed to weed each area and by mid-July our efforts were rewarded with displays around the course. Displays continued for three months and comments from members were very positive so we decided to continue the project in 2016. The most popular seed mix was the tall Festival which appeared more prominently than the shorter mixes though Honey Bee provided some of the best displays.”</p><p>True to his word, Jim and the team did indeed commence with the project in 2016 by doubling the size of the area and adding a further six plots. Although faced with unfavourable spring weather conditions the team’s efforts were soon rewarded.</p><p>“In late July and early August we began to see evidence of blossoms and from August onwards we have now seen magnificent colour. Widening the areas has given depth and adding additional poppy seed to each plot has provided extra colour. The Festival mix was again a real winner.”</p><p>The Festival mixture from Limagrain UK’s Colour Splash range contains a variety of beautiful mixtures including Cosmos Sulphureus, Cosmos Bipinnatus Sensation, Sunbow Zinnia, Cornflower and Tithonia Torch. Resulting in a mesmerising wave of colourful flowers, this mixture stands at between 1m to 1.5m, or more, and can easily be seen from a distance.<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314787670?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="450" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314787670?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="450" class="align-right"/></a></p><p>This popular mixture is just one of eight exquisite mixtures in the Colour Splash range – each meeting the numerous expectations of those who delight in appreciating a significant dash of colour. The Colour Splash mixtures are not only great for aesthetic purposes but they also have a significant impact on the surrounding wildlife in the sense that they provide a refuge that offers a rich and varied source of food.</p><p>Jim is looking to continue the project into 2017 and has already selected new mixtures from the Colour Splash range. The effort and determination from Jim and the team are really quite remarkable and it is this dedication to his local club which has earned him a nomination for the 2016 Warwickshire Golf Awards in the category of ‘Unsung Hero’.</p><p>“Such a project is time consuming, needs effort and perseverance but the ultimate results make such efforts absolutely worthwhile,” says Jim. “Costs are relatively small considering the benefits and I would certainly recommend Limagrain as an option - particularly the advice and on-site support Matt Gresty has given me.</p><p>“Flowers can enhance even the most picturesque of golf courses and our efforts have been the source of many appreciative comments from club members and visitors. Even when people are concentrating on their golf they still have time to enjoy the aesthetics of the course.”</p><p>For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.limagrain.co.uk/">www.limagrain.co.uk</a>. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed</p></div>Wildflowers sown across Bristol to encourage insect lifehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/wildflowers-sown-across-bristol-to-encourage-insect-life2013-08-13T12:08:28.000Z2013-08-13T12:08:28.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314130050?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314130050?profile=original" width="550" /></a>Cornflowers, poppies, buttercups and other wildflowers will be blooming across the city this summer as part of a three year, £1.3 million research project led by the University of Bristol.</p>
<p>University scientists are planting flower meadows in the city's parks, playing fields and schools in an attempt to improve the diversity and abundance of bees, flies and other pollinating insects.</p>
<p>The initiative is part of the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/biology/research/ecological/community/pollinators" target="_blank">Urban Pollinators project</a>, led by the University of Bristol with academic partners at the Universities of Leeds, Reading and Edinburgh, which is examining how pollinating insects are affected by urbanization.</p>
<p>Last summer, the scientists successfully created flower meadows in several sites across the four cities in collaboration with local councils. These meadows are being re-sown this year, and a further five new meadows are being created in each city.</p>
<p>The scientists are sowing two different types of meadow: annual meadows containing a mix of native and non-native plant species which flower for one year, and perennial meadows which have only native species and are slower to establish. Flowers being planted include cornflowers, poppies, oxeye daisies, meadow buttercups and red campion.</p>
<p>As well as being beautiful to look at, the meadows provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and act as ‘wildlife corridors’, allowing insects and other invertebrates to thrive.</p>
<p>Professor Jane Memmott of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences who is leading the project, said: "Urban areas have the potential to support large numbers of insect pollinators. However, many cultivated plants do not provide suitable forage for them. Sowing meadows like these that contain nectar- and pollen-rich plant species increases the provision of foraging resources for bees and other pollinating insects in urban areas.</p>
<p>"Replacing traditionally planted areas with flower meadows can also have economic benefits as wildflowers are less expensive for councils to replace than cultivated plants."</p>
<p>As well as investigating how planting such meadows can improve conditions for insect pollinators, the scientists have also been quantifying these pollinators and their interactions with flowering plants in 180 different locations across the four cities, including parks, gardens, allotments, churchyards and cemeteries.</p>
<p>Dr Katherine Baldock of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences who is co-ordinating the project, said: "Simultaneously sampling a range of urban habitats in this way will enable us to compare the value of different types of urban habitats for insect pollinators and identify habitat ‘oases’ for pollinators in urban areas."</p>
</div>A meadow in every county to mark 60 years since The Queen’s Coronationhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/a-meadow-in-every-county-to-mark-60-years-since-the-queen-s-coron2013-06-10T09:31:22.000Z2013-06-10T09:31:22.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314098626?profile=original"><img class="align-right" style="padding: 5px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314098626?profile=original" width="149" /></a>The first of 60 <a href="http://coronationmeadows.org.uk/" target="_blank">Coronation Meadows</a> have been announced across the UK to mark the six decades of Queen Elizabeth's rule.</p>
<p>At the end of 2012, HRH The Prince of Wales suggested a nationwide project – a meadow in every county to mark the anniversary of The Queen’s coronation, with the first stage launched recently at Highgrove House.</p>
<p>Many of the Coronation Meadows have an annual hay cut and are grazed by hardy, native breeds of livestock and have been picked to reflect the local character of the landscape.</p>
<p>For example, Martins’ Meadow in Suffolk has green-winged orchids and meadow saffron, whilst Cae Blaen-dyffryn in Carmarthenshire has whorled caraway and thousands of lesser butterfly-orchids.</p>
<p>The scheme is led by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Plantlife charity in partnership with the Wildlife Trusts and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.</p>
</div>Councils urged to let roadside verges grow wildhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/councils-urged-to-let-roadside-verges-grow-wild2013-06-04T10:00:00.000Z2013-06-04T10:00:00.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314100421?profile=original"><img class="align-right" style="padding: 5px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314100421?profile=original" width="235" /></a>Local authorities are being urged to tread lightly when mowing and trimming roadside grass verges.</p>
<p>Charitable group, <a href="http://www.plantlife.org.uk/" target="_blank">Plantlife</a>, say that the passing of highway authorities and councils can turn a bank covered in native species into a barren strip, all in a matter of minutes.</p>
<p>And the charity is urging local residents to petition their council and press for grass verges to be treated as hay meadows and only cut twice a year.</p>
<p>Plantlife’s Dr Trevor Dines said: "Plantlife receives more calls on this subject than any other, from members of the public distraught and angry that their favourite verges full of cowslips and orchids are being mown down in the name of neatness and good management.</p>
<p>"It is almost ironic that the way we manage our road verges now encourages coarse and thuggish plants. Mown verges, smothered in cuttings might as well be just strips of green concrete.</p>
<p>"But it doesn’t have to be this way – we want people to join the campaign, log on to the website and send us your “before” and “after” photos to help us lobby for change."</p>
</div>Go wild with Grow Wild to revive urban spaceshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/go-wild-with-grow-wild-to-revive-urban-spaces2013-05-31T06:41:59.000Z2013-05-31T06:41:59.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314215242?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314215242?profile=original" width="500" /></a>A campaign has been launched to bring people and communities together to sow, grow and support UK native wild flowers.</p>
<p>Grow Wild, a new campaign funded by the Big Lottery Fund, aims to inspire people to get together to transform unloved urban sites, gardens and windowsills into wildlife-friendly wild flower patches.</p>
<p>The first stage in the campaign is a call for people to nominate unloved or neglected sites, particularly in urban areas, throughout the UK for a 'Grow Wild' makeover.</p>
<p>The four winning sites will each receive a £100,000 to create an inspiring space using UK native plants for everyone to enjoy for years to come.</p>
<p>Grow Wild is led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Angela McFarlane, director of public engagement and learning at the gardens said: "We’re looking for sites that can be transformed using UK native plants to create inspiring places for people and wildlife.</p>
<p>"We’re currently working on an unloved city underpass which is now a thriving community market in Bristol, a site plagued with car vandalism which is being transformed in Scotland, a neglected graveyard in Selby and a disused station in Edinburgh.</p>
<p>"Now we want to ask for ideas on an even bigger scale, and to find sites to be given a new lease of life by young people and local communities working together to make a difference to where they live."</p>
<p>Nominations for Grow Wild sites can be made via the website, <a href="http://www.growwilduk.com/" target="_blank">www.growwilduk.com</a>, with a closing date of 9 June 2013.</p>
</div>Promoting horticultural careers during National Gardening Weekhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/promoting-horticultural-careers-during-national-gardening-week2013-04-16T13:00:00.000Z2013-04-16T13:00:00.000ZCraig McGintyhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/CraigMcGinty<div><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk/"><img class="align-right" style="padding: 5px;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314211292?profile=original" width="251" /></a>It is <a href="http://www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Gardening Week</a> and this year's event is concentrating on two themes, horticultural careers and wild flower meadows.</p>
<p>Running until Sunday, April 21 there are a number of events and open days across the country, an <a href="http://www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk/Events.aspx?MapMode=" target="_blank">online map</a> is available to track down those close to you.</p>
<p>The gardening week hopes to boost the appeal of a career in horticulture, with RHS gardens opening their doors to school pupils and college students to get a taste of the trade.</p>
<p>And there is a push to promote wildflowers and help transform spaces in gardens into mini-meadows, with workshops, online advice as well as free wildflower seed giveaways by the RHS.</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.nationalgardeningweek.org.uk/" target="_blank">National Gardening Week</a></p>
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