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Sarah Raven is on a mission to halt the decline in honey bees and insect pollinators with insect friendly flower power.
Part 1: Villages, Farms and Countryside
Sarah takes her mission out into the Great British countryside to encourage farmers and village communities to help recreate a network of crucial habitats for these insects. She meets the Farringtons - a Northamptonshire farming family. They investigate sowing perennial wildflower borders around their crops to increase habitats for insect pollinators and to possibly increase crop yields. She also attempts to change the attitude of a Northamptonshire village that prefers tidiness over wildflowers and, at home, she harvests some wildflower seed in order to develop her own wildflower meadow, something everyone can do in their own community or at home.
Part 2: Towns, Gardens and Britain in Bloom
Sarah challenges the RHS Britain in Bloom competition to make their floral displays more nectar and pollen-rich, to help to increase the amount of food and habitat for pollinating insects throughout the spring and summer months. Sarah also challenges the UK gardening industry, the Horticultural Trades Association and the Royal Horticultural Society to champion pollinating insects by launching a 'pollinator-friendly' logo at the Chelsea Flower Show. The logo and label would enable gardeners to identify the best plants for bees and butterflies throughout garden centres and nurseries in the UK. And at home, Sarah meets expert garden naturalist Steve Head, and explores her own garden's suitability for insect pollinators. Inspired by what she discovers, she develops a nectar garden - a mini oasis for insect pollinators.
Part 3: Cities
Sarah challenges our city parks departments to sow nectar rich modern meadows, and to make their floral displays more nectar and pollen rich to help to increase the amount of food and habitat for pollinating insects throughout the spring and summer months. Sarah starts her campaign in Birmingham. She challenges the parks department to get rid of Victorian bedding displays. Next, she visits the London Olympic Park where tens of thousands of square metres of modern pollinator friendly meadows are being sown to come into glorious flower for the games in August 2012. Sarah gets an exclusive preview of the ground breaking biodiverse and pollinator friendly landscaping. Finally, Sarah tests whether modern meadow seed mixes can pack a floral punch and supply our pollinators with a flow of pollen and nectar throughout the year.
