Lees Hall Golf Club in Sheffield is enjoying the benefits of its growing wildflower initiative, developed in conjunction with DLF Seeds, which has added areas of high visual impact and provided a colourful boost to biodiversity around the course.
Led by Head Greenkeeper Ian Whitehead and Assistant Greenkeeper Danny Tozzi, the South Yorkshire club is now entering its third year of using mixtures from DLF’s Colour Boost range.
Established in 1907 as a nine-hole course before expanding to 18 holes in 1921, the picturesque parkland course at Lees Hall is set atop rolling hills with panoramic views across the city of Sheffield. Adding to the visual merit for the past two years are bursts of colour delivered by the club’s newly created wildflower areas.
“I first met with DLF’s Stuart Yarwood at BTME 2024, who suggested we start with a small-scale trial to see how we got on” explains Whitehead. “We opted for Floral Carpet from the Colour Boost range which provided a bold, but low-growing display which all the members enjoyed on their way to the first tee.”
Along with something that would not interrupt lines of sight or play, Whitehead’s other request was slightly more out of the ordinary. “My allegiance to Sheffield Wednesday FC meant I couldn’t bear the thought of a red floral display on the course – DLF were more than happy to oblige, tweaking the mixture to incorporate more blues and whites,” he says.
Under the careful management of assistant Danny Tozzi, the success of the trial plot saw the expansion of the programme into new areas in year two.
Says Danny, “We continued with Floral Carpet and then, with the guidance of DLF’s Ben Morgan, introduced the Honey Bee & Butterfly mixture into some new areas. Despite some slightly challenging weather conditions, we were impressed with not only the way the new sowing performed, but also how much re-growth and self-seeding we saw in the plots from year one.”
As well as visual appeal, boosting ecology has been a major driver for the project. “There’s no doubt that since we established these wildflower areas we’ve seen an increase in pollinators, birds and wildlife in general enjoying these spaces” Danny adds.
Buoyed by the success, five additional wildflower areas are earmarked for sowing in 2026.
“We’ll certainly be continuing with Floral Carpet and the Honey Bee & Butterfly mixtures, along with Carnival, which have all delivered exactly what we’ve hoped to date.” Danny concludes. “Everyone is excited to see even more colour on the course.”