London Wants to Plant Wildflowers for All 9 Million Residents

The 2000-year-old city of London is about to get a colorful new look. According to Lonely Planet, London National Park City has launched an initiative to plant 9 million wildflowers across the UK capital—one for each resident.

The campaign, dubbed #WildflowersForLondoners, is made possible by Seedball. The organization packages seeds in biodegradable clay spheres meant to protect plants in their early stages. The balls that will be scattered throughout London each contain a blend of seeds from wildflower species suitable for urban environments, along with a dose of chili powder to ward off predators.

To take part in the project, London residents can donate to the online crowdfunding campaign and receive their own batch of seed balls. The seeds can be planted in window boxes, parks, planters, or at the bases of trees that line city blocks. The goal is to blanket the landscape in colorful plant life that will brighten up the city through this summer and return next year. For every seed ball urban gardeners purchase, the same amount will be donated to Seedbank for Schools, an organization working to ship seeds to every school in London by spring of 2019. Seed ball packages start at 20 balls, or a total of 600 wildflowers, for donations of $7.

The wildflower-planting initiative is about more than beautifying the city of London. Flowers are also important for the survival of pollinators like bees, whose populations have taken a hit in the UK and around the world in recent years. There are organizations similar to Seedball that encourage people to toss their wildflower seed "bombs" wherever bees might benefit from them.

If you're interested in helping London reach its 9 million flower goal, you can support the cause from home. Visit the web campaign to make your contribution.