Wandering Superbloom at The Tower of London

Won’t you take a wander with me at one of London’s most talked about events this summer? ⁣

Superbloom at The Tower of London has transformed the moat from a grassed area to a blaze of floral glory.

⁣Why Superbloom?

Superbloom celebrates the Platinum Jubilee year of Her Majesty The Queen. ⁣

“To mark the occasion, over 20 million seeds have been sown in the moat developing over the course of the summer, to create a beautiful, new naturalistic landscape. Designed to attract pollinators, ‘Superbloom’ will bring a wonderful natural beauty to this urban space and introduce a new biodiverse habitat for wildlife. It will celebrate the value of nature for our wellbeing.”

What I have loved most about Superbloom is that it is an evolving display. My friends who were lucky to get in early in June, posted photos of soft green and white flowers. We were there in July and we were treated to a sea of delicate pink, blue, orange, and white flowers.

As they go on the seed heads that appear will be left to reseed the moat, ready for next year. Perhaps this will be an annual event?

Where is Superbloom?

You will find Superbloom planted in the moat at The Tower of London, throughout the Summer months.

We paid to take a wander through the snaking paths that have been created amongst a sea of flowers. But if you are visiting the area you can see it from the public viewing area above, but you’ll miss the up close glory!

Buying Superbloom Tickets

SUPERBLOOM ADULT + DONATION tickets cost £13.20. An optional one-pound donation goes to help the charity Historic Royal Palaces continue to care for the Tower of London.

We walked straight in with only a short queue to buy tickets at the gate. (Note this was during the extreme heat period which kept visitor numbers down)

SUPERBLOOM + THE TOWER OF LONDON 

You can also buy a ticket to Superbloom and the Tower of London to explore the UNESCO-listed World Heritage fortress at your own pace. The Tower of London is absolutely brilliant if you love history.  One of the best attractions in London, like stepping back in time! Join a Yeoman Warder tour, meet the royal ravens, and see the Crown Jewels.

What to expect from your visit

We arrived at opening times as I wanted to have as few people around as possible. In August with the long summer evenings, they also have late night opening.

We spend around 30 minutes walking along the winding willow-lined paths. At one point you can choose to climb the stairs and slide down into the moat on the four-lane Superbloom slide! I know that seems a tad random but we did it anyway!

It’s a one-way route, meandering through the moat and different sections have different flowers so you will see a variety of blooms along your way. You can also enjoy views of other famous London attractions in the distance from The Shard to Tower Bridge.

Do chat with the Volunteers!

We found the volunteers we spoke with enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and loving their Superbloom volunteer experience and engaging with the public.

There is so much history in this moat that they are happy to share. From the time that it became a boggy health hazard to its days when grassed over and Tower residents would come out to play football and walk their dogs, cats, and even rabbits here!

Do chat with the Volunteers

Tips for taking the best photographs

Throughout the walk, you will find professional photographers from Smiler who are there to help you get the best photos. They take a range of photos and send you digital photos stamped with their logo and the option to buy. My tip is to look out for the Smiler photographers as they are very friendly, they offered great photos and also they know the best positions on the day for photographs.

Photo Credit : Smiler @Superbloom

The Royal Drainpipes

I was rather disappointed in the royal drainpipes. What do you think?  I am starting a one-woman campaign to have them painted to blend in more!

The golden blooms Coreopsis tinctoria – DyersTickseed to celebrate the Jubilee year

My Impressions of Superbloom

Superbloom was a thoroughly enjoyable wander when we visited in mid-July. I love the fact that the moat once built to keep people out of The Tower of London is now drawing people back. It’s great that many of us who have not been to the Tower of London since we were kids will get a combo ticket and relive childhood memories of previous visits.

The juxtaposition of the delicate and gentle floral carpet standing proud against the stark forbidding tower walls was marked.

It’s great that in the heart of London the bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and hoverflies have found a new home this year.

August Update – Superbloom or bloomin’ disappointing?

I’m seeing reports on social media that this summer’s glorious weather has had an adverse effect on Superbloom, and certainly, we have seen this on lawns and flowerbeds the length of Britain.

Some people are saying Superbloom is now super disappointing and not worth a visit. Anyone visiting in August could have expected to see lots of yellow Tickseed flowers (see above) and the emergence of some pink and purple Cosmos, but maybe this is not the case because of the dry weather.

This must be extremely disheartening for those who have planted the blooms. However this is nature, she does her own thing. There are 29 flower species planted for Superbloom but whether they all bloom is in the lap of the Gods.

Wandering Superbloom in all its many forms has been designed to give us an experience where we can be present amongst nature. Nothing looks perfect forever and if seen in the twilight of its season you can still find beauty present. Amongst the dried grasses the insects will still be enjoying the space.

The details:

Public Viewing Path opening times

Open daily from 9:00 to 22:30.

Getting to The Tower of London: 

There are plenty of options for travel to Superbloom from Trains, Boat or Underground, all the details can be found here

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Have you been to Superbloom? How was it for you? Happy Wanderings!

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