Tag Archive for: Euroflor

West Lancashire Council brighten up town roadside with Euroflor

West Lancashire Council brighten up town roadside with Euroflor: West Lancashire Council wanted to brighten up the area for their residents with some instant colour and provide pollinators with natural habitat, they decided to trial Euroflor flower seed from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) on one of their major routes into the town of Skelmersdale.

Heading up this project was Stephen Bissette, Clean and Green Operations Manager at West Lancashire Borough Council. He explains, “Windmill Island in Skelmersdale is a roundabout on a major route into Skelmersdale. It is just off J5 of the M58. The council wanted to trial a wildflower area and following a meeting on flower seed in general with Gary Brindle from OAS, we sought Gary’s advice on the best way to do this and what seeds to use”.

West Lancashire Council brighten up town roadside with Euroflor

West Lancashire Council brighten up town roadside with Euroflor

West Lancashire Borough Council commissioned OAS to complete the trial project on their behalf which they did working alongside one of their trusted contractor partners.

For speed, ease and fast results Flora Fleece was used – a weed suppressant made from recycled fabric composed of 50% jute, 25% cotton, 25% brown wool, with a hessian scrim. The matting is made of natural fibres, which will break down through the growing season in 5-8 months.

On 10th May 2023 the team laid the fleece on both sides of the roundabout. Stephen comments, “A 100m2 of the Flora Fleece was used. It was quicker than weedkilling and rotavating the soil and gave the best chance of inhibiting weed ingression; it also supports seed establishment. It was easy to use. It is delivered in a roll which you unroll where you want your wildflower patch to be. And that’s it, ready for the soil. Could not be easier”.

Four tonnes of Green-tree topsoil were delivered by OAS and spread evenly on top of the Flora Fleece, in preparation for seeding. This is a an environmentally friendly sustainable soil that is manufactured using organic compost and overburdened sand from quarries; products that would otherwise end up in landfill.

400gram of Euroflor Rainbow Annuals were sown onto the topsoil and then raked over. A firm favourite because of its rapid establishment and long flowering period starting 50-60 days after sowing right through to the first frosts. Euroflor Rainbow displays a wide range of colours from early season – Eschscholtzias and Iberis, to mid-season Poppies, Cornflowers and Flax, giving way to Marigolds and Cosmos at the end of the season. The striking mix of bright colours red, orange, yellow, blue, and white successfully combines native flora with garden favourites.

Stephen concludes, “We had flowers in bloom on the 3rd of August, a beautiful showing which really did brighten up the approach to the roundabout. It was incredibly simple to install, required no maintenance and looked nice. I am delighted with the results and will look at other areas for 2024”

Sow Euroflor flower seed until the end of October for a Spring showing. Contact OAS on 0800 138 7222 for more information or to place an order.

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idverde deliver with Euroflor from OAS

idverde deliver with Euroflor from OAS: The installation of a wildflower meadow in a recreational and memorial ground has been cited as the ‘highlight of the year’ in a report summarising the work undertaken for Stratford-on-Avon District Council by contractors idverde in 2022.

Euroflor Rainbow Annuals supplied by Origin Amenity Solution (OAS) was selected to deliver a burst of vibrant colour and the results didn’t disappoint – with the success of the project overwhelming the team with positive feedback and securing further wildflower areas around the community.

idverde deliver with Euroflor from OAS

idverde deliver with Euroflor from OAS

idverde is Europe’s leading provider of grounds maintenance services and landscape creation projects. idverde’s clients in the UK include more than 200 public bodies and 55 housing associations, The Royal Parks in London, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Glasgow Airport and more than 100 blue-chip private sector businesses such as Vivo and Veolia.

“The council approached me to see how we could increase visual impact and biodiversity to an area of recreational land, making the space more welcoming for people and wildlife to enjoy” explains idverde Contracts Manager Alex Colbourne. “While we had worked with OAS before, we hadn’t had seed from them, so I spoke to our Area Sales Manager Andria Backhaus who took some soil samples and provided us with some excellent advice. With her experience, we prepared the area ready to sow the Rainbow mix at the end of April.”

Assisting Andria, Alex and the team of operatives with the sowing of the Euroflor was Howard Wood who, with over 40 years of experience in installing meadow lands across Europe, was well placed to provide a plan to achieve maximum results. “We followed their advice and started to see growth in approximately three weeks, and in six weeks we were in full bloom.” Alex continues, “I think it’s fair to say the results exceeded everybody’s expectations. We had an array of flowering species, bright and bold colours and the comments we received from the public was amazing.”

Euroflor Rainbow Annuals from OAS is a popular choice for those looking for rapid establishment and a long flowering period. The vibrant display changes throughout the year thanks to 14 different species – with early season Eschscholtzias and Iberis giving way to mid-season Poppies, Cornflowers and Flax, before Marigolds and Cosmos dominate towards the end of the year.

“Once the season was complete, we cut the growth back and then prepared the ground ready for the new seed, which went down a little later this year due to the cooler conditions.” Alex continues, “Together with introducing more wildflower areas this year, we have also had the opportunity to team up with a couple of local schools which has provided a great opportunity to teach children about the importance of habitat and ecology and get them involved with sowing the seeds. It’s been a real success all round and fingers are crossed for similar results this year and into the future.”

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TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed: Lynne Allbutt is a writer, TV presenter, speaker, and an advocate for Euroflor Flower Seed.

In her recent column ‘Green Scene’ written for the Western Mail newspaper, Lynne pays the biggest compliment. “Whenever I use or talk about wildflowers, there is only one company I recommend and that’s Rigby Taylor who are part of Origin Amenity Solutions.  They provided the seed for the memorable wildflower meadows at the Olympic Park back in 2012, and more locally, have provided a lot of seed for Monmouthshire Council, and a few years ago for some of the roundabouts in Blaenau Gwent. If you have seen any of those displays, you won’t have forgotten them.”

TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

TV presenter goes Blooming Wild for Euroflor Flower Seed

Lynne runs a garden design business and is a gardener at heart with a passion for the outdoors and is often described as a Champion for Mother Nature.

She continues, “There are numerous fabulous mixes to choose from, making sure there is something suitable for every site and situation. Euroflor offers a wide range of mixes including horticultural cultivars and/or UK native and naturalised species in varying combinations.  Mixes are available for spring or autumn sowing and there are 11 mixes to choose from in the Euroflor Project Pollin-8 range.  This project is a major initiative at reversing the decline in pollinating insects by including high yielding nectar and pollen flower mixtures.

Or you can choose from the ‘Flora Native’ range, a collection of Native UK provenance wildflower seed mixes. This seed can be sown all year round as long as the moisture and temperature is conducive to germination and growth.  Specific mixes are available for wild birds, and bees and butterflies as well as for different soils and situations, like woodland, wetland, coastal and flowering lawns.”

Lynne’s article is packed with sensible and useful advice. “If you haven’t sown your flower seed yet, get them in the ground as soon as possible.  The weather conditions can change so quickly and there is still time to have a hot, dry summer, so a good start will be helpful for them.

I’ve just sowed a lot of wildflower seed around the edge of my veg patch, on a couple of verges and on an awkward bank.  It’s not too late, and they’ll provide a welcome splash of colour and food for pollinators at the end of the summer.

It is important to remember that good wildflower seed is not ‘free seed’ or even ‘cheap seed’, but it can still be cost effective, covering much bigger areas than shrubs or herbaceous plants and is often more cost effective – and safer – than strimming difficult areas.  Interestingly it is also a cost-effective option for large, grassed areas that would normally be mown regularly.  Mowing paths through swathes of wildflowers has to be one of the most fantastic ways of utilising any green space.  Wildflower banks are particularly striking as the blooms are ‘displayed’ more effectively and using wildflower areas between boundaries and the main sections of a garden is an excellent ‘transitional trick’ – and treat.

I encourage everyone to ‘experiment’ with a patch of ‘properly-done’ wildflowers to see the benefits for yourself.  Attracting pollinators, uplifting the mood, dealing with difficult areas, including poor soil, are just some of the boxes ticked by this under-used flower power.”

Lynne concludes, “Most people who had bad experience using wildflower seeds was simply because they used inferior seed.  I am determined to change this and encourage everyone to have a patch of wildflowers in their garden, whether you go for a handful or a hectare. David Carvey at Origin Amenity Solutions is happy to advice on the best seed for your requirements and conditions and is also generous with practical advice.  You can contact him on 07774 943629.”

To find out more about Lynne or to contact her visit https://www.lynneallbutt.co.uk/

For more information on Euroflor flower seed visit https://www.rigbytaylor.com/flower-seed/

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Euroflor delivers dazzling transformation

Euroflor delivers dazzling transformation: Seed from the Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) Euroflor range has transformed three meadow areas within Worth Park, as part of a wider conservation project underway by Crawley Borough Council.

With the aim of increasing plant diversity and providing all-important habitat and food for pollinators, the wildflowers were introduced by Head Gardener Stephen Peters using OAS’s biodegradable FloraFleece – helping to deliver maximum visual and ecological benefit, with minimal impact on the environment.

Euroflor delivers dazzling transformation

Euroflor delivers dazzling transformation

Worth Park Conservation Garden sits within 8.5 hectares of green space which has undergone a complete restoration over the last few years, making it an important community and destination venue for residents and visitors to Crawley. “The objective of the wildflower project was to provide an essential food source (nectar) for pollinators and demonstrate that making a healthier ecosystem that benefits both humans and wildlife need not be complicated or involve intensive preparations with harmful chemicals that we traditionally see” explains Stephen, who is also Horticulture Advisor to Crawley’s Tilgate and Goff Parks.

“Together with my Horticulture Apprentice Tom, we prepared three areas using the FloraFleece from OAS.” The FloraFleece is composed of 50% jute, 25% cotton, 25% brown wool and hessian scrim that acts to suppress weeds and provide an ideal seed bed for wildflowers, before biodegrading naturally over the next seven or eight months. “We just had to roll the matting out, lay three or four inches of soil over the top and sow the seed – all of which was complete in a day.”

Stephen continues, “Following many visits and conversations about the project, Mike Ring from Origin Amenity came in with a catalogue and together we opted for the Euroflor Discovery box. I really liked this option because it incorporated a range of Euroflor mixtures which would give us annuals, bi-annuals and perennials for a rich source of nectar for our pollinators and wildlife, along with maximum colour and plant diversity. These were sown in mid-March and we started to see growth in approximately six weeks.”

“The results were nothing short of beautiful. We had people taking photographs, sharing feedback on social media and we even had a local artist in her 90’s paint one of the wildflower meadows, the end result now proudly hanging in the community room of Ridley’s Court. Importantly, we have also noted a big increase in the number of pollinators we’ve seen so the project did its job and more!”

Once the flowering period was over, the meadows were harvested down to four inches with the trimmings left in piles before being passed through a small shredder. “We scattered the shredded material back over the plots and found that where the seed had been chipped through the shredding process, we saw the emergence of young seedlings growing again in less than two weeks.”

He concludes, “This project has demonstrated what can be achieved if we all look to ‘recycle, reuse, reseed and rejuvenate’. We couldn’t have hoped for a more successful trial and our aim now is to build on this with the help of OAS, to create new wildflower areas in some of the other parks under my remit.”

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Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle: Hever Castle Golf Club’s head greenkeeper Rob Peers is a man on a mission: “to encourage visitors to both the golf course and the castle estate to fully enjoy and be fully immersed and engaged with the complete site”.

And he is confident that by using a variety of Rigby Taylor’s Euroflor urban meadow flower seed mixes he will achieve this and, by so doing, ‘integrate’ the golf course with the castle estate and enable and encourage all visitors to Hever – golfers and their partners/guests and, likewise, castle visitors – to be fully aware of everything that the historic site in Kent has to offer.

Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

Built in the 13th century, Hever Castle was originally a country house which came into the hands of Henry VIII who, in 1539, bestowed it upon Anne of Cleves in 1540 as part of the settlement following the annulment of their marriage. The property has since passed through various ownerships.

“With over 400 acres of golf course and estate, including formal gardens, there’s something here for everyone,” says Rob, “and by using the Euroflor mixes to create colourful and eye-pleasing areas with the wow factor, I can foresee a real crossover of visitors between the different areas of Hever – effectively bridging any ‘gap’ between the golf course and the estate.”

Rob and his eight-strong greenkeeping team devote around 80% of their time managing and maintaining the 27-hole golf course; the remainder is spent on areas of the estate that border the golf course and are outside of the remit of the castle’s gardening team.

After studying at university as a quantity surveyor, Rob joined the golf course team in 1994 as a casual and, he says, “I immediately fell in love with greenkeeping”. Since then he has undertaken a swathe of training courses, including gaining Level 3 in Amenity Horticulture Sports Turf Maintenance, as well as tuition/certification courses for aboriculture and pest control. A year ago he was appointed head greenkeeper, after a spell as deputy head greenkeeper.

While his first year as head of the team has, he says, enabled him to recognise the full potential of the benefits of ‘marrying’ areas of the golf course with the wider estate it has also, he adds, “been an exciting, challenging and at times scary period”.

Rob has an infectious enthusiasm for biodiversity and environmental issues – “on the greens, for example, we are doing more to make the sward as healthy as possible by, for example, increased aeration and using more sand rather than chemicals” – and this embraces measures (including bee hives) to improve the incumbent fauna and flora.

It was while he and the team were clearing certain ‘border’ areas (which led to a natural upsurge in bluebells and wild garlic, for instance), that Rob began having thoughts about the potential use and effectiveness of wildflowers in certain areas; some close by/on golf course areas; others in areas sandwiched between the course and the estate.

“Aside from converting unused, largely overgrown plots into colourful and attractive areas for everyone to enjoy, I also know that a project like this is great for my greenkeeping team. It raises our skill sets, improves our engagement with the site and lifts job satisfaction levels.”

Several areas of the estate have been made ready for the Euroflor mixes and in most cases this has entailed clearance of grass, brambles and weeds or a reduction in lake-side reed beds.

One area with particular focus will be the recently-discovered (by him) remains of a riverside bower (shelter) that was inspired by Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII. This brick-built construction dates back to the early 1900s. “It was in an area previously masked by long grass, brambles and weeds,” adds Rob, “but I think it will be the perfect showcase for a white-based wildflower mix.”

But why Rigby Taylor and why Euroflor seeds (from Top Green, the largest seed producer in Europe)?

“Each week I meet up with a good friend, a fellow head greenkeeper who, despite operating on a relatively small budget on a nine-hole course, commented that he receives excellent service from Rigby Taylor’s regional sales director, Mike Ring, and he suggested I contact Mike.

“I thought that if Rigby Taylor responded so well to such a customer then as sure as anything the company would pay attention to me! And that has certainly proved the case because I can’t fault Mike’s response, back-up and level of support.”

He continues: “Mike also put me in touch with Howard Wood, Top Green’s Euroflor consultant, and it was after a conversation with Howard – a man with more than 35 years’ landscaping/wildflower experience throughout Europe and Africa – that the project here really gained momentum.

Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

“Howard offered invaluable advice and recommendations on which Euroflor mixes would sit best in the various locations I had identified in terms of colour and height, as well as texture and form.” The chosen mixes are:

  • Flora Britannica – 26 species including  Black Medick, Viper’s Bugloss and Red Clover – on/near the 8th hole/green;
  • Rainbow annuals – 14 species including English Marigold, Tickseed and China Aster – being used on two areas, including one that links the course and estate;
  • Posy (cut flower mix), comprising 12 species;
  • Sarah Bouquet – 30 species;
  • Peace (white, six to eight species – being used for the Anne of Cleves bower; and
  • Honey – 12 species including Borage, Cosmos and Baby’s Breath – being used on/near the 6th hole/green.

Rob will also be using the Souvenir 100% Red Poppy mix, fittingly in the surrounds for the 11th tee. The poppies will be planted to mimick a clock face at 11.00am (if viewed from above). In addition, the Souvenir mix will also be planted sympathetically at the entrance of the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Military Museum which is situated within the castle grounds.

Howard also advised Rob on bed preparation, including soil analyses for mineral deficiencies or extreme pH levels before the removal of all vegetation then the application of a glyphosate-based weed killer or hand weeding.

That said, Rob will also be using Rigby Taylor’s latest FloraFleece biodegradable matting for some planting. This weed suppressant and support for Euroflor sowing is a recycled fabric composed of 50% jute, 25% cotton and 25% brown wool, with a hessian scrim. Laying this effectively eliminates the need to ‘clear’ an area of weed.

“Howard and I got together and discussed every plot, in some cases viewing it from afar to judge whether the chosen colours and heights would potentially have the desired impact,” says Rob. “Leaning on Howard’s expertise, I’m sure I’ve chosen correctly and now it’s simply a matter of time before we find out!”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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