As well as being the warmest summer on record in the UK, this year’s extra-sunny summertime has also been a stunner for wildflower enthusiasts based in and around York! As if it wasn’t already pretty enough, the city has been awash with vivid colour this season, with vibrant wildflower displays popping up around the ramparts of the Bar Walls (for the York Walls in Bloom project), in the picturesque grounds of Rowntree Park and, perhaps most notably, in York’s much-loved Museum Gardens, where a dedicated wildflower meadow space was established behind York Art Gallery, just beyond the gorgeous Edible Wood (one of the Gardens’ best-kept secrets).
Although the summer is sadly over, there’s still time for Yorkies to get involved with the city’s wonderful wildflower projects by helping out with the cutting, collecting, preparing and storing of seeds for next year – volunteers could even get the chance to take home select wildflower seeds, to plant in their own gardens and green spaces to flourish for years to come! While the Museum Gardens’ wildflower meadow has already been scythed (using traditional scything techniques with the Friends of St Nicholas Fields volunteers), with seeds collected, sorted, and packaged, lucky residents can still get involved at Rowntree Park, a biodiversity sanctuary and eco-friendly haven in the heart of South Bank.
If you’d like to get better acquainted with Rowntree Park’s stunning selection of annual wildflowers (including Primroses, Red Campion, Tufted Vetch and Sneezeweed) and pollinator-friendly perennial plants (including Snowdrops and Dwarf Daffodils), why not get yourself down to the park to help the Friends of Rowntree Park to collect, prepare and pack their seeds in time for the autumn season?
ROWNTREE PARK EVENTS:
Monday 29th September – Seed Collecting (1.30pm-3pm)
Tuesday 14th October – Seed Processing (1.30pm-3pm)
Wednesday 22nd October – Seed Packing and Labelling (1.30pm-3pm)
If you’d like to attend one of these free events, no booking is required – all you’ll need to do is simply rock up at the Rowntree Park Reading Cafe on the specified date and time, ready and willing to get your hands dirty! Volunteers are free to take home some wildflower seed samples, which are perfect for injecting some extra life, colour and vibrancy into their own humble home gardens!
To get in touch with The Friends of Rowntree Park, contact: gardening@rowntreepark.org.uk. To find further information about these events and the fantastic work done by The Friends of Rowntree Park, visit www.rowntreepark.org.uk/gardening today.
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