Welcoming Wildlife to St Luke’s

This year the Council are working with St Luke’s to improve the churchyard and park for wildlife. We have gifted the church 20,000 wild daffodils to mark the 200th Anniversary of the church, and work has started on a low flowering species-rich lawn in the central churchyard as part of the Bee Superhighway project.

Low-flowering lawns, once established, can be used in the same way as normal grass lawns and provide additional wildflowers for pollinators. As part of the works, we are creating areas of bare ground in the existing grass for wildflower seeds to be planted. The seeds will be a mix of 20 wildflower species, including Cornflower, Lady’s Bedstraw, and Ragged Robin. These will provide a burst of colour and an essential source of food from April to October for a range of butterflies, bees, flies, and other pollinators.

This will complement the existing wildflower meadow areas and naturalising spring bulbs already planted within St Luke’s Gardens.

We are also very pleased to share that St Luke’s Gardens was awarded GOLD in the annual London in Bloom competition. The awards, entered by the Council, are judged by parks and horticultural professionals. The judges commented ‘St Luke’s Gardens in Chelsea have a beautiful setting with the backdrop of St Luke’s Church. The gardens are located in the old graveyard, with the occasional gravestone making a statement, whilst most of the stones have been relocated to the edges of the greenspace. The backdrop and heritage combined with beautiful mature trees and well-presented horticulture gives the gardens a unique character. This and excellent facilities ensure that the gardens are well used throughout the day.’

This is a great achievement by the team and we’re all looking forward to continuing this partnership to deliver the eco-corridor in 2025.

Monica Castelino