Wildflower Meadow

Heavy Horses returned to Dukes Meadows on Monday 15th June to mow the field beside Riverside Drive, as part of a project led by the Trust to establish a wildflower meadow on the field. Meadows have declined by 97% since the 1930s. They support a wide range of insects and are effective at absorbing CO2.

The Trust has experience in creating meadows. In 2012, using gravel donated by Barrett Homes, the Trust filled the old paddling pools and sewed wildflowers. The gravel created the perfect low nutrient, free draining environment for wildflowers to thrive.

The key to sustaining a meadow is getting and keeping the soil fertility low to prevent more vigorous grasses and perennials outcompeting the wildflowers. With help from the Council’s contractor Lampton Greenspace, the field beside Riverside Drive was cut and the arisings collected in 2023 and 2024. That has reduced the fertility. Lampton was, unfortunately, unable to assist last year, so we looked for another contractor to take it on. Oakwood Clydesdales mow in Bushy Park and Petersham Meadows using Clydesdale horses which has many benefits. The horses don’t compact the soil the way a heavy tractor would, and it is a more environmentally friendly and quieter way to do the work. Heavy horses, once common, are becoming endangered and Oakwood are keeping the breeds going. It’s great to support that.

The horses will return in Autumn to do a further cut and to harrow and seed the area. We’ll use a mix of annuals and perennials and hope the meadow will bloom next summer. Meadows are notoriously difficult to establish and sustain, but we’re going to give it our best shot working with Oakwood. The meadow will need to be cut, and the arisings gathered up each year.