Britain in bloom goes wild Environmentalists welcomed the initiative as an opportunity to boost wildlife like bumblebees and butterflies, that need flowers like ox-eye daisies and buttercups. But traditionalists said the wild flower meadows could end up as unruly rubbish dumps after a few weeks rather than presenting the colourful and neat image intended by the "Bloom." Peter Seabrook, the gardening commentator, said wildflower meadows are all very well at Highgrove but in many schools and parks they become full of rubbish. In contrast, bedding plants like lobelias are now bred to give colour and life for weeks and by watering well tended gardens volunteers already provide homes for wildlife. "The whole idea of a wildflower meadow is I think extremely difficult and needs to be done on a large scale and requires a lot of maintenance," he said. Each year over 200,000 volunteers devote 4.4 million hours to projects that benefit the wider community. Trees, shrubs, plants and bulbs are planted in their millions, miles of graffiti is removed and tonnes of rubbish is cleared, while over 30,000 acres of public space is cared for, all through Britain in Bloom. To mark the Queen's Jubilee and boost wildlife, the RHS are offering all volunteers a packet of wildflower seeds like corn marigold or corn chamomile. Stephanie Eynon, RHS Communities Manager, said volunteers were always encouraged to be sustainable and the wildflower ideas was additional to the other plants. We wanted to do something to celebrate the constant and often underappreciated work of community gardeners across the country, the start of our Britain in Bloom year, and pay homage to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, hence the majority of the flowers are the red, white and blue. Britain in Bloom is well known for its hanging baskets and floral displays, but much of the work is about safeguarding our environment and local wildlife. We hope Wild about Wildflowers will raise awareness of the lesser known side of Britain in Bloom while also working to stem the decline of our wildflower populations and the pollinating insects they support. Miles King, of the Grasslands Trust, hoped it would re-introduce people to old favourites like the corn cockle. Those arable weeds very pretty and will make a nice display. You don't find them in the countryside anymore and people will appreciate getting to know them again.