Swards and Meadows

Located behind the main shopping centre in West Bromwich, Multistory collaborated with The Wildlife Trust, New Square and community members to plant a wildflower meadow with a range of species that establish well and flower over a long period, in September 2023.

Swards & Meadows forms part of Sandwell Council’s Town Improvement Plan, which has seen the introduction of urban greening to West Bromwich. Responding to a community open call-out, over 40 participants and groups kindly donated their spare time to plant packed trays of seed plugs, provided by The Wildlife Trust. As well as bringing texture and colour to this previously unused bit of land behind Primark, the wildflower meadow will increase biodiversity and give nature a helping hand when living in such an urbanised environment. This will also benefit New Square’s initiatives who have installed a wormery, a growing area for New Square staff and a nectar hotel.

In Summer 2024, there will be a celebratory event at wildflower meadow site, that marks the cutting of the meadow and brings together the wider Green Roots West Bromwich programme and the communities that have been involved. We will be offering a Training & Development programme with The Wildlife Trust at the Centre of the Earth to students from the Foundation Learning Department at Sandwell College, around land surveying and using tools. The training will focus on meadow flowers and pollinators, and the students will contribute to the ceremonial cutting of the meadow at the celebratory event.

Read more about some of the wildflowers we have planted in the meadow, and how to spot them:

✹ Common Knapweed
A purple, thistle-like flower that attracts butterflies. Can be seen from June to September.

✹ Yellow rattle
If you brush against this plant you will hear the rattle of the tiny seeds in their brown pods - hence the name! Can be found from May to September.

✹Red clover
Like other clovers, the leaves of red clover have the familiar trefoil look with three green leaflets each bearing a white V-shaped marking. The pinky-red flowers are borne in rounded heads. Can be found from May to October.

✹Pignut
A shortish member of the carrot family, pignut has delicate, branched stems, finely divided leaves and white, open umbels (umbrella-like shapes) of small flowers. Can be found May to June.

We would like to thank everyone who supported this project including the wonderful volunteers and community groups, Josh Singh (Sandwell Council), Jackie Clay and Calvin Shakes (New Square), and to all of those who supported and promoted the event.