A client of ours, Gillian Oakes used our Wildflower Turf to soften the existing landscape surrounding her house which was a new build. Gillian commented that the Wildflower Turf was “a real success!” Additionally she mentioned, “the turf around the house and on the earth berms has made all the difference in allowing the house to sit back in the landscape.”
The soil excavated for the basement and swimming pond, was recycled by being relocated to form an earth berm behind the house on the north face, which is a great idea, and adopts a permaculture way of thinking.
Gillian said, “the turf looks fantastic. It is lovely to look up through the roof-light and see daisies in the foreground, and the tops of beech trees behind.”
Gillian enthused, “it instantly transformed the area around the house from a building site covered in orange mud and dust, to a glorious wildflower meadow.”
Gillian made an interesting comment on how the character of the meadow turf varies depending on its aspect. At the side of the annexe it is shadier, and a different population of wild flowers can be found, compared to the open area to the south. This is a natural characteristic of a wildflower meadow.
The wildflowers which are more adapted to cope well with some shade will perform really well because they are more shade tolerant.
These contrasting areas of meadow provide different habitats which also add diversity to the site. This reflects the mix that we have chosen; allowing for a variety of soil types and environmental conditions.
Another natural characteristic of the meadow Gillian noticed was a changing pallete of colour. Gillian has enjoyed seeing the pink campion and ragged robin early on, followed by ox-eye daisies later on in the season, which has attracted a host of moths and butterflies.
Thanks to Gillian for providing us with these amazing photos.
