The Coronation Meadows project is a British nature conservation scheme supported by
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
. It aimed to create 60
wildflower
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...
meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...
s to celebrate 60 years since the
coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
.
It is led by
Plantlife
Plantlife is the international conservation membership charity working to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi. It is the only UK membership charity dedicated to conserving wild plants and fungi in their natural habitats and helping peo ...
, along with
The Wildlife Trusts
The Wildlife Trusts, the trading name of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, is an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after more than 2 ...
and the
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to pres ...
.
Prince Charles has said that he was inspired to set up the scheme after he read Plantlife's 2012 report ''Our Vanishing Flora''
[ ''With link to full publication as .pdf''] and "fully appreciated just how many wildflower meadows had been lost over the past 60 years".
The scheme was supported in 2014-2016 by a
Biffa Award grant of £1m.
A Coronation Meadow was established at
Wakehurst Place
Wakehurst, previously known as Wakehurst Place, is a house and botanic gardens in West Sussex, England, owned by the National Trust but used and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is near Ardingly, West Sussex in the High Weald (gr ...
in 2016, using seed from
Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve in West Sussex.
The 90th meadow was established in 2016 as The Queen's Meadow within London's
Green Park
Green Park, officially The Green Park, is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the southern part – the core part – of the City of Westminster, Central London, but before that zone was extended to the north, to take in Marylebo ...
.
In 2021 the Wildflower Press published ''Wildflowers for the Queen: A Visual Celebration of Britain's Coronation Meadows'' (), photographed by
Hugo Rittson-Thomas.
References
External links
*
Meadows in the United Kingdom
Nature conservation organisations based in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in England with royal patronage
2013 establishments in the United Kingdom
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