More than 1,000 tower mustard plants have been grown and successfully planted across London sites by community volunteers, marking a major milestone in restoring one of the capital’s rarest native wildflowers.
Volunteers have successfully cultivated over 1,000 tower mustard plants across London. They planted them to revive a native UK herb that suffered a steep decline due to habitat destruction and changes in land management.
Volunteers have planted over 1,000 tower mustard plants. Prior to the project, this once-widespread plant was confined to just two locations in the capital.
The species is assessed as near threatened on the Great Britain Red List. It is endangered in England, and is thought to survive at around 30 sites across England.
Volunteers Save Endangered Native Herb
Led by Citizen Zoo and Habitats & Heritage, the tower mustard project brings together community groups, land managers, conservation partners, and volunteers. At the core of the initiative are the Mighty Mustard volunteers.
In March, these participants attended a workshop to learn how to sow the tiny seeds. They received dedicated growing equipment, including pots, seed trays, and soil.
Seeds were originally sourced from London’s last remaining tower mustard populations at Lesnes Abbey Woods in Bexley and Stain Hill Reservoir in Richmond-upon-Thames. Botanist Dr Mark Spencer provided expert support throughout the effort. Charlotte Harris, nature conservation manager at Habitats & Heritage, noted the dedication of the local participants.
Volunteers Plant Sites Across Capital
The tower mustard project has established planting sites at Wimbledon Common, Hounslow Heath, Lesnes Abbey Woods, and Barnes Common. An additional final planting day is scheduled at Hampton Court Palace’s Home Park, utilizing plants raised separately by volunteers and the Historic Royal Palaces Gardens Team.
Tower mustard, known botanically as Turritis glabra
, grows to roughly one metre tall. It produces delicate white flowers that support vital pollinators like bees, butterflies, and rare moths.
The community-led model builds on Citizen Zoo’s earlier Hop of Hope project. That effort involved volunteers rearing large marsh grasshoppers at home before releasing them into wetlands across Norfolk.
Broader Rewilding and Green Spaces Across London
In London alone, 185 species of plants have gone extinct in recent history according to Elliot Newton, director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo. The organization is already tracking other native plants for future conservation, including copse bindweed.
Tower mustard is the first plant species Citizen Zoo has worked with in London. It joins a portfolio that includes beavers, water voles, German hairy snails, and white storks.
Funding for the tower mustard project comes from Thames Water and the Greater London Authority’s Green Roots Fund. The multi-partner initiative involves Barnes Common, Lesnes Abbey Woods, Wimbledon Common, the London Borough of Hounslow, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and Historic Royal Palaces.
