Wildflower Meadow: Hill Farm Orchard

Many hands make a meadow  

Recently, Earth Trust’s land management team, staff and volunteers came together to help create a new wildflower meadow in the landscape around Hill Farm Orchard. 

Using freshly cut green hay from@ BBOWT’s ancient species-rich Bernwood Meadows, we spread thousands of seeds across the site.  

Over the coming years, we hope to see a rich variety of wildflowers emerge, including green-winged orchids, yellow rattle, cowslips and other traditional meadow species. 

This simple technique helps establish species-rich grassland in a way that is practical, visible and rooted in a real working landscape. As the meadow develops, it will provide habitat for wildlife while continuing to support productive land management through haymaking and grazing. 

For us, this is about more than creating a meadow. It’s about showing what’s possible when nature recovery is woven into the landscapes people use and enjoy every day. 

This project was made possible by a grant from The Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment with funding from South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Fund to support biodiversity enhancements across our landscape. 

Thank you to BBOWT for providing the green hay and to volunteer photographer Chloe Lee for beautifully capturing the day.