PART of a Woodford Green park is to be transformed into a rugged oasis this summer when thousands of pounds worth of wildflowers will fill the landscape.
Ray Lodge Park, off Chigwell Road, will be home to a number of wildflowers, such as cornflower, ragged robin and oxeye daisy.
An area of 90 metres by 110 metres roughly one hectare beyond the park's tennis courts will be given up to the Wildflower Meadows Project, which is being led by the council's Nature Conservation Team.
The project will cost in the region of £4,000 and is being funded by the council's Redbridge Partnership Team and a European Union environment scheme called the Sun Project.
The Ray Lodge Park scheme will begin in March when grass will be cut and scratching of the surface will begin, after which the variety of wildflower seeds will be sown and the area will be left to live naturally until June.
This will be the best time to see the meadow, when the flowers will be living as they would be in a non-controlled habitat.
Emily Reynolds, from the Nature Conservation Team, said: "We chose Ray Park as there is already a small area of meadow which has been cultivated by children from Ray Lodge Park School, so it made sense to extend that.
"Wildflowers are good for the environment, for wildlife and smaller animals to live around and when they're in bloom they are beautiful flowers," she added.
None of the wildflowers to be planted will be harmful to other plants and flowers in the area.
A series of paths will be cut through the growing meadows to allow visitors to enjoy the landscape from a closer perspective.
In July, the area will then be given its first annual main cut. This will trim the grass to a height of just four inches, a level at which it will be kept throughout the rest of the year.
Community Digs will also be arranged, where residents and schools can help in the maintenance of the Ray Lodge Park project.
For more information, and to get involved, email emily.reynolds@redbridge.gov.uk or visit www.redbridge.
gov.uk.
