It’s the hashtag to have this summer and now the royals are part of the craze, too. England is awash with wildflowers as the sun reaches its height with everywhere from motorway verges to public parks going for the natural look. And now Kensington Palace has shared its own take with a celebration of its wildflower meadow for 2019.
A team from Historic Royal Palaces has been working through the winter to create this year’s display at the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family. Now it’s reached full bloom, they’re keen to share the prettiness of the petals. Amongst the long grasses dotting the meadow are campions, daisies, poppies and other native flowers including ragged robin.
Photo: Kensington Royal Instagram
Wildflower meadows are increasingly popular as they support pollinators like bees and provide an ecological support system for wildlife that can be vital in big cities like London. The team at HRP say the bee population there has doubled since the wildflowers began to bloom and is now even talking about introducing hives to the area.
The meadow began life almost a year ago with initial plans taking shape in September 2018. It was then that HRP brought in shire horses to cut down the long grass that was growing in the area identified for the wildflower meadow. Wildflower seeds can struggle to find space in the natural environment with grasses and weeds often crowding them out so a lot of work went into getting the land ready for the new meadow. The seeds were sown in April and new paths were also created in the area to give more access to the flowers which are now in full bloom.
The wildflower meadow is part of an ongoing development programme for the Kensington Palace gardens which began in 2012. From the very start of that project, there was a focus on ‘giving back to nature’ and HRP says the new wildflower meadow provides a contrast to the formal spaces at the royal residence including the famous Sunken Garden.
Visitors will be able to enjoy the flowers as part of a visit to Kensington Palace.
