In a bid to sustain their now established array of wildflower growth areas on campus, College has announced in a general letter to students and staff that their maintenance operation for the upkeep of these areas on campus would take place “over the next two weeks”.
It follows on from a public poll earlier this year in which 13,000 votes were cast in favor of converting the College Green area into a wildflower meadow, the latest area on campus to get a sustainable, new and natural look to it.
Estates & Facilities explained that the wildflowers are “to be strimmed” in order to “facilitate seed dispersal and reduce/manage organic matter, which, in turn, facilitates nutrient control in the soil”.
The wildflower gardens around campus contain a mix of annuals and perennials, and are mostly of Irish origin.
Professor John Parnell, Chair of Trinity’s Grounds and Gardens committee, said when they were first planted early this year that Trinity is “not bound by the past but engaged with the future”, with regards to living sustainably and that “we, as an institution, are keen to engage with the wider world on important societal issues”.
The planned maintenance will also “allow for selective weeding to be carried out”, the letter explained.
The move to transform areas of campus into wildflower gardens has been a popular one since the vote which took place in May, and Parnell, then noted that “the people want to see more biodiversity and in particular want institutions to set an example”.
The gardens will also be populated by Rhizome plants, stalk-like flora that possess the capabilities of producing shoots and root systems of new plants among others. College has also indicated its intentions to leave the gardens over the winter months, given the majority of these wildflowers bloom in spring and summer.
