Perks of Being a Wildflower: Part of the Disappearing Wildflowers Project
Imagine a meadow buzzing with butterflies, sprinkled with delicate blooms, and alive with the hum of nature—this is what Diamond Wood could look like again. Once, lowland calcareous grasslands like this were common across southern England, but 97% vanished between 1930 and 1984. Today, only small, fragmented patches remain, struggling against scrub, urbanisation, and neglect.
Enter Andover Trees United (ATU) and their Disappearing Wildflowers Project. Their Sow, Grow, Plant initiative is turning the tide, inviting students, volunteers, and local businesses to roll up their sleeves and help bring Diamond Wood’s meadows back to life. From nurturing tiny seeds to planting them in a vibrant new meadow at the eastern edge of the wood, participants are doing more than gardening—they’re protecting butterflies, capturing carbon, and keeping a vital piece of our natural and cultural heritage alive.
Get ready to get your hands dirty and watch nature work its magic—because being a wildflower has its perks!
WEDNESDAY 8TH OCTOBER 2025 AT HARMONY WOODS (part of DIAMOND WOODS)
Yesterday, we were joined by our first school group of the season for a Wildflower Planting Session at Harmony Woods. Clatford Primary’s Year 5 & 6 Eco-Club students helped plant bird’s foot trefoil in the new meadow. Named for its seed pods that resemble bird’s feet, this plant is an important food source for butterfly caterpillars, including the Common Blue. It also has an interesting history — people once used it in midsummer wreaths for protection!
The students also got creative, making wildflower seed bombs and throwing them across the meadow before planting, helping to spread the blooms far and wide.
A huge thank you to Clatford’s Eco-Club for joining us and helping bring the meadow to life. Stay tuned for more wildflower planting updates!
TUESDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2025 AT HARMONY WOODS (part of DIAMOND WOODS)
This Tuesday, we were joined by a brilliant team of volunteers from Vail Williams to kick off our Wildflower Planting Session at Harmony Woods.
The group began by helping us prepare the new meadow area at the eastern end of the woodland — taking down gates and dividing the space into strips ready for planting. Once everything was set, they got straight to work and successfully planted 200 wildflowers!
The mix included bird’s foot trefoil, red and white clover, and kidney vetch — all beautiful species that thrive in calcareous grassland and provide essential nectar for our bees and butterflies.
A huge thank you to Vail Williams for their energy, teamwork, and support in helping Harmony Woods continue to flourish.
MONDAY 28TH JULY 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
What a fantastic morning we had today at our Volunteer Conservation Day on the Vigo Road Allotment! A big thank you to our brilliant team—Doreen, Wendy, Annabel, Paul, Annette, Liang, Jacey, Patrick, George, Stephen—and a warm welcome to our new volunteers Shelley, Penny, and Mike.
Together, we washed pots, potted up plants, and kept everything hydrated with plenty of watering. Working side by side, we managed to pot up over 30 trays of wildflowers—that’s around 1,500 plants—all ready to be planted into the meadow in Diamond Wood this October.
Special thanks to Annabel and Annette, our pot-washing dream team, and to Steve and Paul who handled watering duties like pros. Wendy kept us all going with perfectly timed refreshments during our well-deserved tea break!
We're especially delighted to welcome Shelley, who plans to join us on Mondays, and the lovely father-daughter duo Penny and Mike, who found us through the Carnival and kindly came along to lend a hand.
If you’d like to help out—especially with watering—we have a weekly rota and would love to have you on board. Just an hour a week can make a big difference!
A huge thank you to everyone who turned up today and to those supporting us behind the scenes. Want to get involved and make a difference? Visit our website or send us a DM—we’d love to welcome you to our volunteer family!
WEDNESDAY 23RD JULY 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
We were delighted to welcome 15 fantastic volunteers from the MOD to our allotment on Vigo Road as part of this year’s Workplace Volunteering Day.
Armed with enthusiasm (and gardening gloves!), the team got stuck into our Sow Grow Plant project. Hundreds of wildflowers were carefully potted up, thirsty plants were watered, and brambles were tackled with gusto – revealing a bounty of ripe blackberries that were swiftly harvested and enjoyed!
They also helped us get ahead by organising the many remaining potted plants and seedlings, making them much easier to manage going forward.
A huge thank you to the brilliant MOD team – your hard work, energy and good humour made a real difference. We hope to see you again soon!
MONDAY 14TH JULY 2025 AT THE DIAMOND WOOD (HARMONY WOODS)
What a fantastic and productive day we had at Diamond Wood for our latest Volunteer Conservation Day! A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support the work — your energy and teamwork made a real difference.
Our hardworking team included: Doreen, Wendy, Paul, Izzi, Natalia, Simone, Sam, Amanda, Annette, Liz, Jacey, George, Liang, Stephen, and the brilliant staff and students from Harrow Way.
The day kicked off with great teamwork as Jacey, Natalia, Paul, Stephen, and our enthusiastic Harrow Way students filled in the spaces around the now-covered archaeology trench — a big step in restoring that area. Meanwhile, Liz, George, Liang, Jacey, and Annette were busy potting on wildflowers with helpful hands from the students.
The Harrow Way students also made sure the Jane Goodall birthday tree got a good watering, while Amanda, Izzi, and Liz tended to the sedum roof and planters near the site office. It’s always great to see the plants thriving with a bit of care.
George and Wendy took on the important job of organising cabin resources, while Natalia made sure the tool container was neat and ready for future use.
Out on the trails, Paul, Stephen, and Sam were replacing and hanging signs to keep our paths welcoming and clear. Inside, Liz, Annette, and Amanda got creative making beautiful bunting and banners for the upcoming carnival stall — we can’t wait to see those displayed!
Meanwhile, Simone was everywhere at once — labelling mulching buckets, oiling the worktops, and making sure refreshments were ready just in time for our well-earned tea break.
Huge thanks to everyone involved — your hard work keeps Harmony Woods healthy, happy, and full of life. We can’t wait to see you next time!
SATURDAY 12TH JULY 2025 AT THE DIAMOND WOOD (HARMONY WOODS)
This past Saturday, 12th July, the team gathered at Harmony Woods (also known as Diamond Wood) for a fantastic day of community conservation and creativity. Despite the heat, spirits were high as everyone pitched in to pot on some seedlings and get the “beating up” underway — helping our young plants grow strong and healthy.
We were thrilled to have Olivia from CAS join us, running a creative workshop to support ATU with their vibrant carnival crafts. It was wonderful to see so much energy and creativity flowing alongside the conservation efforts.
Throughout the day, we also had the chance to chat with several members of the public, answering their questions and sharing more about our charity and the exciting projects we’re involved in. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and contributed — your support means the world.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the next Community Conservation Day!
SATURDAY 7TH JUNE 2025 AT HARMONY WOODS
June marked the start of an exciting and impactful series of events as ATU launched its contribution to The Great Big Green Week, an annual celebration of community action to combat climate change, hosted by The Climate Coalition.
Our Community Conservation Day was the perfect way to kick things off — a day rooted in connection, care for the planet, and collaboration. The ATU team and local volunteers gathered at the ever-inspiring Harmony Woods, undeterred by the unpredictable weather. Spirits stayed high as we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, carefully picking out the young seedlings that had been sown during our May planting session. It was a rewarding moment to see the early fruits of our shared efforts beginning to grow.
This month’s gathering also tied in with two fantastic national initiatives: Social Farms and Gardens’ Have a Grow Day and The Eden Project’s Big Lunch. After the conservation work, the team and community members came together to enjoy a well-earned break with a shared meal. The Big Lunch was a celebration of community spirit — filled with homemade treats, warm conversations, and plenty of laughter.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out, supported the event, and helped make the day meaningful. These moments remind us just how much can be achieved when we work together — for our communities and for the environment.
We can’t wait to see you at the next one!
Fancy getting involved? Visit our website or drop us a DM to learn how you can be part of our amazing volunteer family. Every little bit helps!
FRIDAY 6TH JUNE 2025 AT HARMONY WOODS
Celebrating an Incredible Business Volunteering Day with Simply Health
As part of Volunteer Week, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming a fantastic team of 33 volunteers from Simply Health to Diamond Wood for a day of giving back to nature – and what an incredible day it was!
The team split into three rotating groups to experience a little bit of everything. From a peaceful and informative Wildflower Walk & Talk, to pricking out wildflower seedlings ready to be planted in our new meadow this October, there was no shortage of meaningful, hands-on work.
They also helped install our brand-new instructional woodland signage – part of our effort to encourage visitors to #KnowThePath and help protect the rich wildlife of the woodland. Practical tasks didn’t stop there – the group rolled up their sleeves to sponge down the cabin, varnish the toilets, carry out some hedgerow maintenance, and even got creative helping to craft items for our upcoming carnival float!
A huge thank you to Simply Health for all your energy, enthusiasm, and hard work. You’ve made a real difference. And of course, massive thanks to our amazing ATU volunteers – Natalia, Izzi, Sam, Simone, Hebe, and Ben – for making the day run smoothly.
This is what #VolunteerWeek is all about – coming together, sharing skills, and respecting the wild spaces we all love.
MONDAY 2ND JUNE 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
What a fantastic day we had at our Vigo Road allotment for today’s Volunteer Conservation Day! With the sun shining down, our brilliant team – Sam, Simone, Paul, Jacey, Sylvie, Tara, Linda, and an enthusiastic group of staff and students from Harrow Way – rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in.
Sam got to work trimming back the encroaching hedge, then joined Paul and the Harrow Way students to weed the tree nursery beds. Meanwhile, Simone, Sylvie, Jacey, Linda, and Tara showed great care and patience pricking out wildflowers, ready to be potted on in a few weeks’ time.
After a well-earned tea break in the sun, the whole group came together to water and tidy the site – a perfect end to a productive and rewarding day.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along, and to those working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.
Fancy getting involved? Visit our website or drop us a DM to learn how you can be part of our amazing volunteer family. Every little bit helps!
WEDNESDAY 21ST MAY 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
Today we were thrilled to welcome a fantastic group of Co-Op volunteers to Vigo Road Allotment for a workplace volunteering day. Despite the wet and rainy weather, their enthusiasm never wavered!
The team spent the day pricking out wildflower seedlings—a delicate and vital job that helps prepare the plants for future planting across the local community. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, an incredible 1,800 seedlings were pricked out and are now well on their way to thriving in their next growing stage.
We’re so grateful for the time and effort the Co-Op team gave today. Their contribution makes a real difference to our ongoing conservation and community planting efforts.
Thank you, Co-Op volunteers—you smashed it!
SATURDAY 10TH MAY 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
Saturday’s Community Conservation Day was a big success down at our much-loved Vigo Road allotment! Under blue skies and warm spring sunshine, our brilliant team of volunteers rolled up their sleeves to give the allotment some much-needed attention.
Together, we sowed fresh seeds that will soon bring a splash of colour, and carefully pricked out the seedlings sown last month to make room for healthy growth. It’s always rewarding to see how much progress just a few hours of teamwork can make.
Events like this aren’t just about gardening — they’re about connection, learning, and spending time outdoors with like-minded people who care about our green spaces.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came along, lent a hand, and shared a smile. Your time and energy help our community thrive.
We’re already looking forward to the next session — see you there!
TUESDAY 6TH MAY 2025 AT VIGO ROAD ALLOTMENTS
Simply Health Colleagues Lend a Hand at Vigo Road Allotment
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming a fantastic team of volunteers from Simply Health to Vigo Road Allotment for a workplace volunteering day with Andover Trees United.
The group spent the day getting their hands dirty in the best way—pricking out hundreds of wildflower seedlings that will go on to brighten Harmony Woods and support biodiversity. Their energy, care, and attention to detail made a huge difference, and we’re incredibly grateful for their time and effort.
Wildflowers are essential to our local ecosystems, providing food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Thanks to the Simply Health team, we’re one step closer to a blooming, more sustainable Andover.
A big thank you to everyone who joined us—you’ve helped grow something truly special!
SATURDAY 12TH APRIL 2025 AT HARMONY WOODS
Today was a perfect spring day for our Community Conservation Day at the allotment on Vigo Road — warm sunshine, blue skies, and a wonderful group of volunteers coming together to welcome the wildflower season!
The team kicked things off by planting a variety of wildflower seeds, each one carefully weighed and sprinkled with care to give the seedlings a perfect start. The patio area got a fresh look too, thanks to some enthusiastic weeding — with many dandelions pulled up, a delicious treat for one of our volunteer family’s guinea pigs!
Meanwhile, another group rolled up their sleeves to clean and wash pots, getting everything ready for when our seedlings are ready to move on in the next couple of months. The children got creative, making beautiful flower prints with some of the early blooms already brightening up the allotment.
After all the hard work, everyone enjoyed a well-earned tea break — complete with cake, laughter, and sunshine.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us today! We’re already looking forward to the next Community Conservation Day on Saturday 10th May — hope to see you there!
