Chedworth Wildflower Meadow
A wildflower meadow
for Chedworth
Two parish-owned fields are beginning a careful transformation into species-rich Cotswold limestone grassland.
Restoring something that belongs here
Chedworth Parish Council has agreed that the project can go ahead. Working with Glorious Cotswold Grasslands, part of Cotswolds National Landscape, the village will help two fields recover their remaining wildflower potential.
A botanical survey found that the fields are becoming increasingly grass-dominated. The aim is not an instant display made from a colourful annual seed mix. It is the gradual restoration of genuine limestone grassland: varied, resilient and characteristic of the Cotswolds.
Useful potential, but too much grass
The existing sward still offers a foundation to build on. Cutting, removing hay and opening areas of soil will reduce competition and give a wider range of native plants a chance to establish.
A richer meadow, season by season
With patient annual management, the fields should support more flowers, insects and birds while keeping the open character villagers know. Progress will be measured in years, not weeks.
What happens next
- September 2026Hay cut, scarifying and initial seeding
- Autumn & winter 2026–27Manage grass growth and give new plants space
- May 2027Glorious Cotswold Grasslands establishment survey
- July or August 2027First annual hay cut
- 2028Annual hay management continues
- May 2029Three-year botanical resurvey
Wildflowers with Cotswold roots
These are among the plants we hope careful management will encourage. What appears, and when, will depend on soil, weather and the field’s surviving seed bank.
- Yellow rattle
- Knapweed
- Ox-eye daisy
- Bird’s-foot trefoil
- Field scabious
- Kidney vetch
Field notes
We will add photographs and short updates here as work begins and the meadow changes through the seasons.
The project gets the green light
Chedworth Parish Council has agreed that the restoration project can go ahead. Planning is now focused on the September hay cut, scarifying and initial seeding.
Latest update