London Is Looking to Plant 9 Million Wildflowers

By
Melissa Breyer
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Melissa Breyer
Former Senior Editorial Director
  • Hunter College
  • F.I.T., State University of New York
  • Cornell University
Melissa Breyer is Treehugger’s former senior editorial director. She is a sustainability expert and author whose work has been published by the New York Times and National Geographic, among others.
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Updated October 11, 2018 08:54AM EDT
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©. National Park City

A new campaign is seeking to turn the city into a pollinator's playground by planting a wildflower for every resident.

As things stands now, London plays home to more than 8.3 million trees and 14,000 species of wildlife. But if a new campaign by the non-profit National Park City is successful, the city will have 9 million new wildflowers to add to the mix.

The non-profit – which advocates for applying national park principles to the city – is partnering with seed ball social enterprise, Seedball, to make the pollinators' dream a reality.

“By backing our campaign, you are helping us to show Londoners how easy it is to #getgrowing in our own neighbourhoods and how, through small actions, over time we can transform our urban landscape into a beautiful city of colourful wildflowers returning every year,” say the organizers.

The plan of action comes be way of wildflower seed balls – and through crowdfunding, where backing start at £5 for 20 seed balls that will produce 600 wildflowers. And for every seed ball purchased, Seedball is donating a matching gift to SeedBank For Schools, which will be distributed free of charge to London schools.

The seed balls are comprised of native wildflower seeds selected carefully for the London environment and can be sown everywhere from random plant pots to window boxes to vacant soil. The balls are coated in clay which keeps the seeds safe while they become established; they also come with a dose of chili powder to keep pests away. There are a few mixes offered, including an Urban Meadow Mix for spots that are subject to pollution, like close to roads.

The appeal of the pitch is hard to deny:

Is there a forlorn corner near your home? An abandoned area outside your flat? A boring border in front of your house? You could get your company to turn that dreary area outside your office into an oasis for wildlife, or you could get together with your friends and neighbours and make your street a river of flowers with multiple planted spots along a street.