Museum Gardens wildflower meadow combines art and nature

The meadow has returned to Museum Gardens, behind York Art Gallery in Artists’ Garden.

It was first planted last year to coincide with Claude Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond being displayed at the York gallery.

Monet’s ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ on display at York Art Gallery last year (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire) As The Press reported, the gallery said it wanted to continue the influence of one of the world’s most recognisable paintings – featuring Monet’s water garden in Giverny, France – outside of the exhibition.

The meadow now features artwork by Harland Miller whose XXX exhibition opened at York Art Gallery in March.

York Museums Trust said more than 500,000 people visited the meadow last year, along with insects, birds and pollinators.

The wildflower meadow in Museum Gardens, York (Image: York Museums Trust) A spokesperson said the meadow aims to transform the gardens into an “immersive visual experience for all to enjoy”.

Twenty-seven native species, including corn cockle, field poppies, and corn camomile (a daisy-like plant) have been planted in Museum Gardens.

 “The tranquillity of the meadow in the heart of the city emphasises the importance of nature and colour in everyday life,” the York Museums Trust spokesperson said.

“Visitors are invited to step inside the meadow, following the winding path that has been mown among the blooms.”

The wildflower meadow in Museum Gardens, York (Image: York Museums Trust) The meadow has provided a wealth of habitat for wildlife, both while in bloom and into the winter months with the dried grasses being used as nesting material for birds and small mammals, the York Museums Trust spokesperson said.

It has also provided an opportunity for the garden’s team to learn the ancient farming technique of scything, using the hand-held tool with a curved blade to cut grass.

Once this grass has been cut, it is used throughout the gardens.

And the wildflower seeds are sold in the York Art Gallery and Yorkshire Museum gift shops, with all proceeds reinvested into the gardens.

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Steve Williams, garden manager at York Museums Trust, said “Due to the flood risk in this area of the garden, the plants chosen are very hardy to be able to withstand extreme changes to their environment.

“The rejuvenation of these areas of the garden help to create a diverse ecosystem to be enjoyed by wildlife and visitors throughout the seasons.”

Meanwhile, the trust spokesperson said its investment in green spaces for wellbeing continues down at the riverside.

There, they said, “a serpentine path has slowly been cultivated for the past three years to provide a new route for visitors to enjoy.”