Coronation Meadows

The Coronation Meadows project is a British nature conservation scheme supported by Charles, Prince of Wales. It aimed to create 60 wildflower meadows to celebrate 60 years since the coronation of Elizabeth II.[1][2]

It is led by Plantlife, along with The Wildlife Trusts and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.[3][4] Prince Charles has said that he was inspired to set up the scheme after he read Plantlife's 2012 report Our Vanishing Flora[5] and "fully appreciated just how many wildflower meadows had been lost over the past 60 years".[6] The scheme was supported in 2014-2016 by a Biffa Award grant of £1m.[7] A Coronation Meadow was established at Wakehurst Place in 2016, using seed from Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve in West Sussex.[8] The 90th meadow was established in 2016 as The Queen's Meadow within London's Green Park.[9][10]

In 2021 the Wildflower Press published Wildflowers for the Queen: A Visual Celebration of Britain's Coronation Meadows (ISBN 978-1527249592), photographed by Hugo Rittson-Thomas.[11][12]

A Scottish meadow
  1. ^ Low, Valentine (6 June 2013). "Coronation meadows to help revive endangered wildflowers". The Times. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. ^ "60 new wildflower 'coronation meadows' to be planted across UK". Countryfile. 7 July 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  3. ^ "About". coronationmeadows.org.uk. Coronation Meadows. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Coronation Meadows". Plantlife. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Our Vanishing Flora". Plantlife. Retrieved 19 January 2021. With link to full publication as .pdf
  6. ^ "Coronation Meadows (home page)". coronationmeadows.org.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Creating new meadows". Biffa Award. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Coronation Meadow". www.kew.org. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Prince Charles visits The Green Park to help create the 90th new Coronation Meadow". The Royal Parks. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  10. ^ "The Queen's Meadow in bloom". Coronation Meadows. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Wildflowers for the Queen". Hugo Rittson Thomas Photography. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  12. ^ Appleby, Malcolm. "Prince Charles supports Plantlife wildflower book". Horticultural Week. Retrieved 19 January 2021.