The flower beds at Imperial Gardens on Taw Vale in Barnstaple are getting a makeover thanks to the North Devon Parks team.

Taking inspiration from the beautiful Olympic Park meadows which were sown for the London Olympics in 2012, the layout will be altered by removing the circular bedding and outside beds and replacing them with a spiral wildflower meadow with a central feature such as a sculpture or tree.

A nectar-rich annual and perennial wildflower mix will be planted for biodiversity and for attracting pollinators, as well as visual attractiveness.

The advantages of creating this new meadow area are:

• lowering the council's carbon footprint
• saving water
• increasing biodiversity
• attracting more wildlife
• increasing sustainability

The herbaceous bed that borders the Imperial Hotel will also be extended to the path on the Taw Vale side.

Local ward member for Barnstaple Central, Councillor Robbie Mack says: "English horticulture has changed over the past few years and people are now looking to councils to create a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly way of working. Having seen all the hard work that the Barnstaple in Bloom team have done to improve the town, we are keen to follow their lead in the areas that we maintain. All planting will be done in line with current Royal Horticultural Society thinking and guidelines.”

The new planting scheme will also tie in with the planting structure on the Square and along the Strand, the results of which will become obvious within a couple of years.