York Walls in Bloom
As part of the York Walls in Bloom initiative, the vibrant wildflowers across the city’s historic walls are carefully managed to reflect the natural rhythm of the seasons.
This seasonal care ensures the walls remain a living, breathing part of York’s heritage, offering beauty and biodiversity all year round.
Read about:
- York Walls in Bloom project
- Carefully managed walls in bloom
- Ecology of The City Walls
- Local support for York Walls in Bloom
York Walls in Bloom project
Funded by the Green Corridors project, the National Lottery Community Fund and sponsored by local businesses, the project will deliver spectacular floral displays and allow many different pollinating insects to thrive.
Inspired by projects such as the Tower of London, Moat in Bloom, carefully managed wild flowers around the City Walls offer:
- stunning visuals
- increased sustainability
- improved habitat
- a more natural environment
A change in management techniques, including a suitably balanced approach to cutting (and not-cutting), will support nutrient levels for healthier soil and promote wild flower growth.
Carefully managed walls in bloom
York Walls in Bloom has been carefully introduced, and will continue to be correctly managed over several years, to balance the ecology of the sites.
During the summer months, residents and visitors are able to experience areas of the city walls from a fresh perspective, as this unique and historic space blooms into life.
Each year, volunteers and businesses from across the city came together last year to help transform the city walls embankments.
This first phase of this project started at Station Rise which evolved into a beautiful landscape during the summer months. Each year, residents and visitors will be able to see bees and other pollinators thriving amidst a sea of colourful wildflowers.
The second phase of the project has been extended to the Red Tower, off Foss Islands Road and at Queen Street, near York Station.
After wildflowers are sown and planted in the spring for the second phase, there will be some flowering in 2025, but in 2026 will see each area looking its best.
Like Station Rise, the area around Red Tower has been very carefully managed to balance the ecology of the site. The space will continue to change and develop in the first few years as the different plant species become more established.
The works on Queen Street, around Tofts Tower, provides a unique opportunity to enhance another section of walls by introducing new flowers and adjusting the cutting to accommodate the new flowers, so they create the perfect backdrop for both the city walls and new streetscape near the railway station.
Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, said:
York is proud to have some of the best preserved and longest intact medieval walls in the country. This partnership project to cover the site at Station Rise in colourful wildflowers for York Walls in Bloom will not only look beautiful, but it will also help support York’s bees, moths and butterflies and crucially, help preserve the ramparts underneath.
"We are lucky to have expert advice from many partners who are contributing to a process of reviewing our maintenance of the walls overall. We’ll adopt the very best practices to prevent soil erosion and ensure we keep the Walls standing and looking great for generations to come."
Jonathan Dent, Green Corridors Manager at St Nicks, said:
York’s walls are amazing, but there’s so much potential to do more in spaces like the one at the Red Tower. This is about changing how we manage green spaces to increase biodiversity without losing what people love about them. It’s about coming together as a city to make a difference—and depending on the success here, we can start to look at other areas too like Lord Mayor’s Walk or Nunnery Lane
Liam Dennis, Ancient Monuments Manager at City of York Council, added:
There’s been a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes and we’re grateful to volunteers and businesses who’ve helped us. We’ve had to water the flowers more than we initially thought, but they’ve flourished in a way that traditional bedding plants wouldn’t have. The Station Rise site is quite unique, and the success here shows what’s possible when we work together to manage these spaces sustainably.
Ecology of The City Walls
Over their 2,000-year history, York's city wall ramparts have constantly evolved, changing from sheer slopes, to grazing areas, to manicured lawns.
In recent years, seasonal bedding-plant displays have featured interesting and unique designs. However, the displays are resource intensive, in terms of water and carbon used in the growing, transporting, planting, watering, weeding and removal of plants each year, making them increasingly unsustainable for the city and the planet.
The York Walls in Bloom project will:
- ensure the ramparts keep looking special, so that we can all continue to enjoy them
- change how we conserve the ground beneath The Walls, helping to prevent soil erosion and protect them in the very best way
Local support for York Walls in Bloom
The York in Walls in Bloom project has gained the backing and sponsorship of local businesses.
Simon Mahon, General Manager of The Grand, York, said:
We’re delighted to be working on the York Walls in Bloom project; we’re very proud sponsors and are looking forward to seeing wildflowers being introduced along the walls, which naturally will make this historical part of York even more beautiful.
"Here at The Grand, York, as part of our sustainability initiative we house approximately 50,000 bees on our roof. The honey they produce is used throughout The Grand in desserts, pastries and cocktails. So, we’re really happy to support this project."
Holly Hennell, Manager, York Cares, said:
Employee-volunteers will be involved with activities to enhance biodiversity across the city, sowing seeds as part of the York Walls in Bloom project; a fantastic initiative which will really brighten up the city whilst also benefiting the environment.
"The York Cares team is excited to get involved, alongside their members, demonstrating the difference we can make when we come together."
