How to recreate the wildflower meadows of Highclere Castle
My wife and I began to create the wildflower meadow here at Highclere Castle over ten years ago. We prepared the ground by harrowing for two years to break up the existing grass so that the wildflower seeds could establish themselves with less competition. The mixes of seeds chosen were geared towards traditional Hampshire chalk grassland species and, over the years, it has developed, changing in colour and deepening in variety.
In mid-October we harvest the seeds, which are packaged for sale in our gift shop, before we cut and remove the hay to maintain the low fertility of the area, which is vital for the wildflowers.
We have a diverse collection of around forty wildflowers and grasses including the rare bee orchid (Ophrys apifera), field scabious (Knautia arvensis), bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), vetch (Vicia sp.), eyebright (Euphrasia sp.) and milkwort (Polygala sp.). Many of them have traditional uses: Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum) repels fleas in mattresses as well as giving a yellow dye used to colour cheese such as Double Gloucester, while common vetch (Vicia sativa), for example, has been used for fattening cattle or perhaps as part of an early diet for people. We mow a broad, winding path running through the meadow diagonally for visitors to enjoy. In the season it is full of colour and is a haven for insects: this year we had so many bees in high summer there was a continual, audible hum from the field! A true testament to the wildflower meadow’s success.
Wildflowers for The Queen: A Visual Celebration of Britain’s Coronation Meadows by Hugo Rittson Thomas. In partnership with conservation charity Plantlife and with a foreword by their patron HRH The Prince of Wales (Wildflower Press, 320pp, £50, 4 February 2021). Profits from sales go to Plantlife.
Hugo Rittson Thomas1/19The impressive and familiar outline of Highclere Castle is softened by meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) and a wealth of other wildflowers.
Hugo Rittson Thomas2/19Formal statues overlook sweeping vistas as the castle grounds give way to distant woodland.
Hugo Rittson Thomas3/19An early autumn dawn mist shrouds the valley and, as the wildflower meadows approach the end of their season, field scabious (Knautia arvensis) puts on a final flourish before the hay is cut.
Hugo Rittson Thomas4/19The long, pointed seedheads of meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) give this plant its name.
Hugo Rittson Thomas5/19Greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) adores soils rich in chalk or limestone and produces its purple pom-pom flowers well into autumn.
Hugo Rittson Thomas6/19A plethora of grasses soften the meadow, including timothy (Phleum pratense) and yellow oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens).
Hugo Rittson Thomas7/19Meadows closely associated with gardens are often adorned with ornamental flowers such as this hardy geranium (Geranium endresii).
Hugo Rittson Thomas8/19Grasslands and meadows on chalk can be some of the richest and most remarkable botanical habitats in Britain, with up to forty different species found in a single square-metre patch.
Hugo Rittson Thomas9/19The sheer diversity of meadows is their joy, a wild abundance of flowers. They lift the heart and nourish the soul.
Hugo Rittson Thomas10/19Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)
Carried on long stems that appear to float and bob above the meadow, the pale lilac-blue flowers of field scabious really stand out.
Hugo Rittson Thomas11/19Each bloom is actually a collection of tiny flowers arranged in a disk and, just as in a daisy, only the outer florets produce longer petals.
Hugo Rittson Thomas12/19Field scabious is not related to daisies, though – they’re actually members of the teasel family.
Hugo Rittson Thomas13/19The flowers produce some of the highest quantities of nectar of any meadow plant, and are a magnate for the wide range of bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and other flies that pollinate the flowers.
Hugo Rittson Thomas14/19Amazingly, it seems that the exact chemical make-up of the nectar produced depends on the other plants growing around it, so the flower can ‘tweak’ its appeal to certain pollinators and make itself stand out from the crowd.
Hugo Rittson Thomas15/19Growing in old hay meadows, on chalk downland, limestone grassland and along road verges, the plants flower for a long period from June to October and are especially welcome as a source of nectar for pollinators in the autumn.
Hugo Rittson Thomas16/19
Hugo Rittson Thomas17/19
Hugo Rittson Thomas18/19
Hugo Rittson Thomas19/19
