See the 'Superbloom' at the Tower of London
To mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the moat of the Tower of London has been transformed into an extraordinary floral display and wildlife haven in the heart of the city
The Platinum Jubilee weekend may be over, but the Tower of London continues to mark the occasion throughout summer with their 'Superbloom' – a floral display and haven for wildlife surrounding the famous fortress.
Over 20 million carefully selected seeds were sown in the Tower of London’s moat earlier this year, designed to develop in sweeping waves of colour throughout the summer. This month flowers gradually begin to flourish throughout the display, changing colours and patterns until September.
Familiar wildflowers will appear in the moat over the next couple of months, from red poppies and yellow corn marigolds to blue cornflowers. Sunflowers, cosmos and rudbeckias will flower into early autumn.
The crowning glory of the display is the ‘Queen’s Garden’, installed in the Tower’s historic Bowling Green. Inspired by the Queen's coronation gown by Norman Hartnell, this elegant garden features a combination of meadow flowers, topiary and summer-flowering perennials and ornamental grasses.
Selected by Sheffield University Planting Professor Nigel Dunnett, the flowers will provide a rich source of food and nectar for pollinators, bringing more biodiversity to the Tower’s urban surroundings.
Visitors will be treated to an ambient score, Music for Growing Flowers by contemporary composer Erland Cooper, as they take in the display, plus a collection of dragonflies, bees and butterflies hand-crafted in copper and brass by sculpture artist Mehrdad Tafreshi.
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The Superbloom display at the Tower of London is open to the public until 18 September 2022. For more information and to book tickets, visit hrp.org.uk
Don't miss Nigel Dunnett's Gardens Illustrated Masterclass talk in June.
Authors
Abigail is a freelance writer and editor based in Hereford.
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