LANDSCAPING SERVICES
EUROFLOR DELIVERS DAZZLING
TRANSFORMATION
AT WORTH PARK TO THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE & POLLINATORS ALIKE !
Seed from the Origin Amenity Solutions ( OAS ) Euroflor range has transformed three meadow areas within Worth Park , as part of a wider conservation project underway by Crawley Borough Council . With the aim of increasing plant diversity and providing all-important habitat and food for pollinators , the wildflowers were introduced by Head Gardener Stephen Peters using OAS ’ s biodegradable FloraFleece – helping to deliver maximum visual and ecological benefit , with minimal impact on the environment .
Worth Park Conservation Garden sits within 8.5 hectares of green space which has undergone a complete restoration over the last few years , making it an important community and destination venue for residents and visitors to Crawley . “ The objective of the wildflower project was to provide an essential food source ( nectar ) for pollinators and demonstrate that making a healthier ecosystem that benefits both humans and wildlife need not be complicated or involve intensive preparations with harmful chemicals that we traditionally see ” explains Stephen , who is also Horticulture Advisor to Crawley ’ s Tilgate and Goff Parks .
“ Together with my Horticulture Apprentice Tom , we prepared three areas using the FloraFleece from OAS .” The FloraFleece is composed of 50 % jute , 25 % cotton , 25 % brown wool and hessian scrim that acts to suppress weeds and provide an ideal seed bed for wildflowers , before biodegrading naturally over the next seven or eight months . “ We just had to roll the matting out , lay three or four inches of soil over the top and sow the seed – all of which was complete in a day .”
Stephen continues , “ Following many visits and conversations about the project , Mike Ring from Origin Amenity came in with a catalogue and together we opted for the Euroflor Discovery box . I really liked this option because it incorporated a range of Euroflor mixtures which would give us annuals , bi-annuals and perennials for a rich source of nectar for our pollinators and wildlife , along with maximum colour and plant diversity . These were sown in mid-March and we started to see growth in approximately six weeks .”
“ The results were nothing short of beautiful . We had people taking photographs , sharing feedback on social media and we even had a local artist in her 90 ’ s paint one of the wildflower meadows , the end result now proudly hanging in the community room of Ridley ’ s Court .
Importantly , we have also noted a big increase in the number of pollinators we ’ ve seen so the project did its job and more !”
Once the flowering period was over , the meadows were harvested down to four inches with the trimmings left in piles before being passed through a small shredder . “ We scattered the shredded material back over the plots and found that where the seed had been chipped through the shredding process , we saw the emergence of young seedlings growing again in less than two weeks .”
He concludes , “ This project has demonstrated what can be achieved if we all look to ‘ recycle , reuse , reseed and rejuvenate ’. We couldn ’ t have hoped for a more successful trial and our aim now is to build on this with the help of OAS , to create new wildflower areas in some of the other parks under my remit .”
For more information contact Origin Amenity Solutions on 0800 138 7222
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