Flower power at the Tower for Jubilee
THE Tower of London will transform its 13th century moat into a sea of wildflowers to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum jubilee, creating an oasis for bees and birds in the heart of the capital.
The moat, which has previously been used as a medieval orchard, a grazing ground for Victorian livestock and allotments during the Second World War, will blossom into a “spectacle of nature” after 20 million carefully selected seeds are sown.
The planting scheme, which should result in millions of colourful flowers surrounding the Tower, is designed to attract pollinators and wildlife, and is the beginning of a permanent transformation of the moat into a natural landscape. The “Superbloom” project, already nicknamed “Flowers at the Tower”, is dedicated to the 70-year reign of the Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year.
It is likely to delight the Queen, who has previously spoken of the joy she finds in the great outdoors. She recently urged world leaders to come together to address climate change as their legacy for future generations.
“We are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow,” she said in a speech this month.
The wildflowers in the Tower of London moat are the first stage in a project to turn the 14,000 square metre area over to nature. It is the second big Jubilee project to focus on the natural world, with people throughout the Commonwealth already encouraged to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project.
Its success relies partly on the British weather, with the right conditions for the flowers to grow and thrive. The moat is currently being filled with topsoil, in which a specially created mix of wildflower seeds will be sown by hand. They include cornflowers, sunflowers, gyposphila, poppies, and pink cosmos, with garden plants added to the native wildflowers to allow for taller planting schemes and colourful displays throughout the summer. The design was selected for its simplicity, and intended to reflect the solace the public found in nature during the Covid-19 lockdown.
In 1977, at the Silver Jubilee, the moat was used for a garden display. In 2014, to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War, it was filled with 800,000 ceramic poppies in a moving commemoration.
“For the first time, a space built in the 13th century to keep people out of the Tower, will welcome visitors in,” said a spokesman for Historic Royal Palaces. “From June 2022, it will be open every day for visitors to explore and see close up.”
The exact mix of flowers has been adapted, after several rounds of testing, to create the greatest improvement to biodiversity in the moat and its surrounding areas. When the display draws to a close in September 2022, the moat will remain a natural landscape and a permanent tribute to the Queen.
Tom O’leary, public engagement director at Historic Royal Palaces, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing some joy, colour and spectacle to the Tower of London next year, in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
“Everyone at the Tower is looking forward to sharing the project with people as it develops – and hoping for some luck with the weather! We hope that this thriving new landscape, surrounding London’s formidable fortress, will celebrate the power of nature to unite us all.”
A spokesman added the “explosion of colour within London’s urban landscape” was intended to celebrate the “value of nature to our wellbeing”. “The positive impact of green space on health is widely recognised and the pandemic has highlighted its importance,” she said.
“Historic Royal Palaces hopes the transformation of the moat – a previously underused space – will inspire similar positive change across the country.”