Blooming Urban Landscapes

For two decades Pictorial Meadows has been successfully supplying, installing and maintaining large-scale urban meadows which transform urban landscapes into vibrant, environmentally conscious spaces.

This article delves into a variety of urban projects by Pictorial Meadows, exploring their approach in creating resilient and engaging nature-based solutions for diverse urban environments.

Meadows for urban brownfield sites

With urbanisation on the rise, there is a pressing need for vibrant and cost-effective landscaping solutions that transform brownfield sites into aesthetically pleasing spaces. Temporary meadows composed primarily of annuals have emerged as an effective solution.

Pictorial Meadows’ products have been used on over 150 hectares of development land, bringing not only colour and ecological benefits, but also effectively reducing antisocial behaviour. Research from the University of Sheffield validates the positive impact of Pictorial Meadows, fostering heightened feelings of happiness, calmness and relaxation among community members.

Grand displays at visitor attractions

Iconic locations like the Olympic Park in London and the Tower of London serve as testaments to Pictorial Meadows’ ability to create impact on a large-scale and their ability to transform existing as well as newly redeveloped urban spaces.

Over one hectare of meadows were planted across these two events. The Tower of London Superbloom project alone utilised over twenty million seeds from twenty-nine flower species, creating an immersive sensory experience that captivated visitors with vibrant flowers and buzzing bees. How much visitors enjoyed the spectacle was evidenced by the number of posts and positive comments on social media.

Highways and council initiatives

Local councils have harnessed the potential of Pictorial Meadows for highways, using them for central reservations, verges and roundabouts. Rotherham’s nine-mile River of Flowers not only reduced maintenance costs and traffic management expenses, but also boosted biodiversity and motorist satisfaction. Testimony to this was in its first year the council received over 250 complements about the extensive display.

Coventry, with its sowing of over three hectares of meadows, earned a Green Apple Award for its significant contribution to environmental ‘greening.’ The irony lies in the fact that these annual meadows bursting with colours were far from being merely green.

Perennials for long-term impact

While achieving quick wins is easy with Pictorial Meadows’ annuals, the focus on long-term solutions takes precedence with perennials. North Lanarkshire has reaped the benefits, utilising Pictorial Meadows to enhance urban greenspaces into flower-rich meadows that result in biodiversity gains and reduced maintenance visits. Solihull Council, through its Green Ways project, emphasises long-term benefits by employing Pictorial Meadows’ perennial flower turf on around fifty hectares.

Embarking on a large-scale landscaping project demands a reliable partner, and the reliability of Pictorial Meadows’ products shine through when used in large projects. Pictorial Meadows’ seamless blending of horticultural science, environmental management and creative design ensures the creation of successful, sustainable and visually stunning urban landscapes every time.

Pictorial Meadows is part of The Green Estate Community Interest Company and offers a range of designer meadow seed mixes and turf alongside a professional meadow creation, management and consultation service.