July 11, 2025
Since January 2025, the Grounds and Garden team have installed over 300m2 of wildflower turf in numerous areas around Penryn campus. Many of these spaces are in bloom, attracting a variety of pollinating insects, supporting wildlife and boosting biodiversity on campus.
Some of the spaces in flower to check out include:
- An 80m long strip along the hedge between Reception and the Porters lodge.
- Next to Peter Lanyon, where concentric circles of wildflowers have been planted amongst short mown turf with a mown circular space in the middle. This will, in time, have a tree in the centre with a circular bench around it.
- Wildflower planting directly opposite the bus stops has more than doubled.
- Areas by the main entrance roundabout and the corner near the wooden Information Building and barriers (as you drive onto campus), have all been expanded.
- A section of dead box hedge between the School of Film and Television building and the Chapel Lecture Theatre, has been replaced with wildflowers.
- A small patch of wildflowers has been introduced the other side of the Heart Reception, near the shop.
The team have also continued to plant potted wildflower plugs, which are grown on campus by our gardeners and introduced into the designated wildflower areas. Last year (Jan-Dec 2024) a total of 3,010 individual wildflower plugs were planted and this year (since Jan 2025) we have increased that number by 1,700 plants. This means we are on track to beat last years’ total by the end of the calendar year.
Across the Tremough Estate, over five acres of grassland is cut annually in a wildflower friendly way. This is means it is cut only once or twice a year, at the end of summer or autumn, so that wildflowers have time to flower and set seed. After cutting, all the cut material is gathered up and removed to prevent the build-up of nutrient levels in the soil.
This area size is a conservative estimate, and “actual figures are likely to be much larger than this. Some of these areas can be more long grass than wildflowers as our soil is quite nutrient rich. Hopefully managing the land in the right way and continuing planting, when possible, will increase wildflower diversity and abundance over time”, said Alasdair Garnett, Gardener at FX Plus.
