Pictorial Meadows
and learn from these issues one by one.
The Pictorial Meadows team has
learnt a lot from the Park schemes
and used this knowledge to create
successful seed mix recipes and new
establishment and management
A
lso, central to the parks
infrastructure are a
number of integrated
and innovative SuDs
schemes which take
and manage the
seasonal surface water run-off from the
encircling housing estates helping to
instructions. Inappropriate initial mix
selection, poor understanding of what
is actually happening, inappropriate
or dis interested management and a
lack of experience in this area is what
typically causes schemes to fail in the
first year before they have the chance
to reach a critical tipping point in terms
of sustainability.
is a very different style of landscape
management.
Sue France comments “Manor Fields is
a site that we are extremely proud of.
Long term trials in real life situations
have been what the industry has been
missing. The opportunity to be planting
designers as well as parks managers
mitigate downstream flood problems.
with an in house maintenance team
So, the combination of these factors
has given us the unique opportunity
has led to a very different approach
to really find the best and most
combining large new areas of seed
workable solutions. We have had to
sown flower rich landscape as well as
exercise patience in our approach
new ideas around enhancing what was
but year on year as knowledge and
already naturally occurring. The planting
confidence has grown it has got easier.
mixes and management techniques
From consultancy and design to the
themselves have also evolved over
overall and continued management of
time as the team have learnt from the
the scheme, Manor Fields sits on our
constraints and opportunities of the
doorstep and gives us our very own
underlying soil conditions and inherited
and very beautiful real life learning
semi naturalized vegetation.
laboratory. “
The varied growing environments
To learn more about creating your own
encompassing low fertility to very
Pictorial Meadows and to see the Manor
enriched soil, shade and sun and
Fields for yourself, join the Pictorial
also wet to dry has resulted in a
Meadows masterclass at Sheffield’s
largely unpredicted growth response.
Historical Manor Lodge in July.
However, by approaching the project
To find out more visit
methodically and using simple trial and
www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk
error, the team has been able to combat
It has shown how time is also a major
factor. It can take at least 3 years to
make that all important transition
from ‘amenity grass and weeds’ to
‘stable flowering meadow vegetation’.
Manor Fields has enabled the team
at Pictorial Meadows to demystify
the process and encourage other
landscape professionals into what
Landscape & Urba