The West Devon Meadows steering group visited RHS Rosemoor this week (I was a lucky hanger on!) to learn about the species-rich meadows that Jonathan Webster, Rosemoor's Curator, and his team have been restoring and creating over several years. The last time I visited, around seven years ago, the meadow area was modest, a small area around a tree, but today there are a heart lifting several acres of them. Each area is different, with its own suite of flowering plants. Some areas have been created by oversowing with a native perennial wildflower seed mix, suited to the site and in keeping with the wild plants in the local environment. Other areas, formerly pastures, are being restored, with no direct seeding, but by simply changing the management to one hay cut a year and seeing what plants appear. It was very inspiring to see the skillfull blending of formal areas and informal planting to such great effect. There were plenty of mown paths through the swaying grasses. Really great to see such an important role model working hard to encourage biodiversity in the garden and surrounding landscape. Well worth a visit before the hay cut.
More information about the wildflower meadows at Rosemoor here:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor ... ts/meadows
- Species-rich hay meadow created by reseeding
- An area of wood meadow
- Mown edges suggest the long grassland areas are intentional
- Flower-rich grassland in the orchard
- Orchids and Cat's Ears a plenty
- West Devon Steering Group with Rosemoor's Curator, Jonathan Webster
- Wide mown paths invite exploration
