Location: Chertsey Meads, River Thames floodplain
Product Used: Native seed harvesting and reintroduction
Project Size: 10 hectares (within a wider 60-hectare meadow system)
Chertsey Meads is a large floodplain meadow located alongside the River Thames. The site is managed by Runnymede District Council and forms part of an extensive area of open meadow with ecological and environmental significance.
In August 2025, Wildflower Co. was appointed to support the restoration of areas of the meadow that had become less diverse over time, with areas of the meadow being dominated by rye grass over time.
The key focus of the project was to improve biodiversity by using seed harvested from within the meadow itself, rather than introducing material from elsewhere, at the request of Runnymede District Council, who wished to keep the seed source as local as possible.
Rather than supplying a standard seed mix, Wildflower Co. harvested seed directly from the highest-quality areas of Chertsey’s meadows. This locally sourced seed was then reintroduced into less diverse sections of the same site, ensuring that the species used were already well suited to local conditions.
Approximately 100kg of seed was harvested during the project and transported back from site daily for drying. Drying the seed on site proved essential to maintaining quality and ensuring the work could be completed efficiently. While the distance to site presented a logistical challenge, careful planning and daily transport of equipment and seed ensured the work ran smoothly.
A period of particularly warm weather during the harvest window helped the team complete the work within the desired timeframe. Volunteers also played an important role in supporting the re-sowing process across the meadow.
The harvested seed has been successfully reintroduced across targeted areas of the meadow, laying strong foundations for the gradual re-establishment of a more diverse plant community.
By using seed sourced from within the site itself, the project has preserved the natural character of Chertsey Meads while supporting long-term ecological recovery.
The approach taken avoided the need to bring in external seed and demonstrated how locally harvested material can be used effectively to restore large meadow sites.
As the meadow continues to grow, the restored areas are expected to support a wider range of plants and wildlife across the floodplain. Drying the seed on site worked particularly well and will be used again on future projects, with better growing years likely to produce higher yields. The approach used at Chertsey Meads shows how this kind of work can be carried out successfully on other large meadow sites.
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