Penrith community encouraged to visit temporary wildflower installation

Penrith City Council is encouraging their community to visit the temporary ‘Let it Bee’ wildflower meadow at Grey Gums Oval between December 2021 and May 2022 before the wildflowers are cultivated back into the soil.

Penrith City Council General Manager, Warwick Winn, praised the garden for its innovation and sustainable approach and advised “by planting these trees, we're raising community awareness of the understanding of heat and the importance of cooling the Penrith LGA, which plays a key role in Council's Cooling the City strategy."

Penrith Council was awarded funding under the NSW Government’s Greening the Great West Walk program to plant a temporary wildflower meadow at Grey Gums Oval, Cranebrook.

The temporary wildflower meadow at Grey Gums Oval is being planted to transform the inferior clay soil and allow the planting of 78 new trees. Once planted the 78 new trees will help reduce temperatures along the walk, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and help enhance biodiversity.

After flowering, Council staff will collect suitable seeds for propagation in Council’s nursery before the wildflowers are cultivated back into the soil for tree planting.

Winn added “the wildflower meadow is the first of its kind and is an innovative project that Council is excited to be a part of. I highly encourage residents to come to the site to see what flowers, butterflies and other pollinators you can spot before they’re gone.”

The wildflower meadow is on the route of the Great West Walk, a 65km walk from Parramatta to the base of the Blue Mountains.

Council has planted native wildflowers such as Bulbine bulbosa, Calotis lappulacea, Pultenaea villosa and Wahlenbergia, which are species that have adapted to Penrith’s soils, temperatures and climate over millions of years.

The site includes signage, seating and bee hotels to help provide a fun and educational experience.

For more information about the site, please visit penrith.city/LetItBee

Image: An image taken yesterday of the Let it Bee site at Grey Gums Oval in Cranebrook, which is being monitored and photographed daily.