Wildflowers performed badly in 2025 and 2026 despite following all advice where possible, so from 2027 we will split the wildflower area. Most of it will be a grass meadow where many of the insect hotels are, the sloping bank will be a mown lawn. 

Originally we thought the problem was two very hot dry summers, but the main reason wildflowers fail after a few years is grasses taking over and out-competing the flowers, this is why our maintenance plan and advice was adhered to.

Advice included having yellow rattle in the seed mix which controls grass growth, watering in 2026, creating a new area with seeds sown into bare soil. Maintenance includes cutting the meadow as advised, leaving flower seeds to fall, clearing cuttings to avoid soil enrichment, removing weeds, modifying the harrow to improve it and harrowing soil before sowing and again to disturb seeds to encourage germination, roll seeds for good soil contact, and re-seed every season twice a year.

This work is not justified for the poor results. We made a chart showing when sections of the meadow were seeded so we could compare it with flowering results, but the only significant flowering was on the sloping bank which has well drained soil (with rubble underneath) which wildflowers prefer. Poor flowering means less seeds for the following year, so the problem gets worse, which confirmed our decision to leave it as a grass meadow and lawn. Teasel seeds have now been sown, and thistles should continue to grow in the meadow which look good and attract bees, butterflies and birds.

We ran out of cornfield annual seeds in 2025 and had to reseed with the original flower and grass mix in one area, which increased grasses in 2026 in one place. 2025 & 2026 were extremely hot and dry but we watered in 2026, although it made very little difference. The covered brick floor was part of the wildflower meadow, but poor drainage caused flowers to fail, so we changed it to a lawn in 2025.

The wildflower meadow project was created so we could apply for a grant to buy a ride-on mower which we needed to cut our large areas of grass. The mower is still in use cutting all the grass on site, so we achieved our aim and there will be more grass to cut with the new lawn. Other benefits of the project are:-

The new shed replaced a shipping container as part of the project to give better views of the site. The shed provides secure storage for tools & supplies, with a work bench and vice. The shed freed up storage space in the visitor centre allowing us to display more finds and exhibits including things found when making the meadow.

The area was originally full of weeds and soil heaps, so the landscaping has created an attractive space. The grant included preservation of adjacent areas, so we cleared the trench and tunnels of debris and covered a brick floor with soil to preserve it. The insect hotels we bought are still used by bees and other insects and we made our own from re-used materials. Our picnic bench will be used on the flat part of the new lawn.

The only maintenance grass meadows need is weeding and cutting paths, the lawn will just need mowing with the rest of the grass. This is much less work than a wildflower meadow which involves all the maintenance mentioned above in paragraph 3.

We've had five years use from the towed accessories but now they will not get as much use. The roller, harrow and spreader will still be needed for covering areas of the site with soil & grass and the trailer will be needed for carrying sacks of grass seed and using the watering system for this preservation. The trailer also gets plenty of use at work parties and the collector is still needed to clear grass cuttings before open days.

So although the meadow will not flower, we will still benefit from the grant, particularly our mower and shed which most of the grant (75%) was spent on. We still use the picnic bench, insect hotels and garden tools, so 84% of the grant remains in use.

We will still have wildflowers on site, poppies and cornflowers grow well in our other gardens and around the site, we will save seeds and sow them each year. We also seeded a bare soil area where a dead tree was removed, we used the original wildflower and grass seed mix, so wildflowers should appear in spring 2027. If any wildflowers return to the meadow we will keep them.

Graham Bartlett

Project Co-ordinator

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