River of Flowers

The 'river' in River of Flowers is an evocative way of describing the planting of urban meadows in 'pollination streams' or 'green corridors' in order to help our pollinators, bees, butterflies and hoverflies, find forage in the city. It describes the flight path of the pollinators as much as it does the flow of wildflowers. Having started in north London, River of Flowers is expanding rapidly through London. It has contacts in east London via its connections with the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and The Golden Company, with west London via the Kensington & Chelsea Meanwhile Wildlife Garden and Living Medicine and with south London via the Walworth Community Farm and Roots and Shoots.

River of Flowers has partnered with Sustain on their Capital Bee Project and The WI on their SOS Bee Project and formed links with many invertebrate organisations including Buglife, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and the Natural Beekeeping Trust. Wildflowers can also be grown with food to attract pollinators and pests. River of Flowers has links with many food growing projects including Growing in Haringey, Food from the Sky, London Food Link and Slow Food London. Contact us for more information on River of Flowers and to become a member.

Kathryn Lwin

Kathryn Lwin is the Director and Founder of the River of Flowers, launched in December 2008 while she was Director of the Archway Herbal Clinic. River of Flowers is now a separate entity operating as a social enterprise. Passionate about the need to preserve wildflowers in the challenging city environment - constantly in competition with concrete and tarmac for space and wind tunnels, traffic, people and pollution for survival - Kathryn is captivated by the wildflower’s tenuous yet determined hold on life. Wildflowers can be found in the most surprising of places for wherever there is the smallest patch of bare soil, they will come. Kathryn believes that wildflowers and food growing should be an integral part of modern urban design and the sustainable city.