WILDFLOWER MEADOW MANIA

That's my part of the world. I used to do school contracts through there. It's definitely a scenic area.

G.

 

Swansea residents are still going wild for flowers

Saffron Jenkins http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/swansea-residents-still-going-wild-7871537

1. 
   A warm September means many of the wildflowers Swansea council planted earlier this year are still in bloom at over 70 locations.
2. 
   One of the beautiful verges in Swansea.
3. 
   Poppies and other wildflowers in bloom in Swansea.
4. 
   The displays have been helped by the warm weather in September.

Drivers have enjoyed some beautiful wildflower displays this year.

 

Swansea's summer wildflowers are back and as beautiful as ever
The total area of wild flowers now in bloom means most parts of Swansea are benefiting from their beauty

Owain Reed
Victoria Jones

Hundreds of thousands of wildflowers can once again be seen across Swansea this summer, brightening up more than 180 roadside verges, roundabouts, and parks.

More than 41,000 square meters of wildflowers are in bloom across the city in a scheme which combines to “raise people’s spirits” and boost biodiversity by attracting bees and other pollinators to urban areas.

It is the fourth year the wildflowers have been planted, in a scheme which is funded by Swansea council, community councils, and local ward members



Councillor Mark Child said: “This is the fourth consecutive year our parks service has masterminded the planting of wildflowers across Swansea for the enjoyment of residents and visitors, having first introduced the project as a trial scheme back in 2012.

“Covering about seven football pitches in size, the total area of wildflowers now in bloom means most parts of Swansea are benefitting from their beauty.

“The scheme combines to raise people’s spirits and boost biodiversity by attracting bees and other pollinators to urban areas. Its popularity also means we regularly get queries from members of the public on how they can buy the seed mixtures for their own gardens.”

Originally, the planting scheme was carried out partly to help the Welsh Government’s action plan for pollinators, aiming to give bees more wildflower habitats to visit.


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But the last four years have been so successful that the scheme was one of many initiatives that led to the council winning a Sustain Wales award for excellence in 2015.

If you’d like to brighten up your own garden, the council’s parks service also works in partnership with the Friends of the Botanical Gardens.

They’ll be selling the seeds during their plant sale events and colour mixtures include rainbow annual, bouquet orange, and carpet red and gold.

 

Last year the drive down to Swansea was beautiful although this year I don't think they bothered quite as much, they really could extend it down towards Jersey Marine/ opposite the Bay Studios, it's quite drab along that stretch of road. Really wish our council would start doing this too, they wouldn't even fund our village hanging baskets this year so the village hall had to get a local nursery on board to help them out :(

 

Breath taking & beautiful, I wish our council also did something like this to help.

 

Beautiful. saw one beginning of October. lots of zinnias in it, took pics of it too. shame I can't upload it on this sight.

 

Bee Friendly signs call on contractors to avoid cutting wildflower verges

By Annabel Hughes in Environment

www.beefriendlymonmouthshire.org

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Members of Bee Friendly Monmouthshire have been out and about around Abergavenny planting signs on grass verges to discourage private contractors and council workmen from strimming wildflowers.

The signs bear the Bee Friendly symbol with the message below: ‘Do not mow while flowering’.

The same signage will also be installed by Monmouthshire County Council when the urban flowers mix is sown on roundabouts.

Chairwoman of Bee Friendly Monmouthshire Cyrene Powell says the group was ‘very disheartened’ to read the recent story in the Chronicle about the destruction of a bank of wildflowers in Wern Gifford, Pandy by a county council team subcontracted to SWTRA.

“Wildflowers don’t just appear overnight and cutting them before they seed delays their growth by a few years,” she said.
“As such, some beautiful wildflowers have naturally self-seeded and sprung up in the verges near the new roundabouts at Llanfoist.

“We’ve put the signs there as reminders to the contractors/council to please not cut them whilst they are flowering.

“We also ask the public to not take the signs - we are kindly funded by the public and not the council!”

Bee Friendly Monmouthshire has helped Gwent Best Kept Village (with GAVO) to open a pollinator-friendly award category which the group will be judging this year.

Members are also involved in an event for Gwent Wildlife trust in June, helping children and adults to identify different types of bumblebees and solitary bees and wasps.

The find out more about the group’s activities visit: www.beefriendlymonmouthshire.org
•Bees For Development and Bee Friendly Monmouthshire have launched their ‘Hedgerow Manifesto’.

It’s designed to be a ‘bible’ for supporters of the two groups and other wildlife lovers.

“Hedges and verges make up so much our countryside and are very important hotspots for pollinators,” said Cyrene.

Among other things, the booklet includes friendly tips and tricks to help hedgerows and verges recover.

 

@Linz On this stretch, Neath Rd, Morriston, Plasmarl, Swansea had all there Roundabouts planted up this year....maybe they alter which verges R/A get planted each year because as you say of budgets Linz ......sad fact if as you mentioned you had no help with your local village hall ... also as ive posted in above i think there was a break down of communications with the maintenance departments...so maybe there were more planted that sadly we didn't get an opportunity to see ...i don't get to that area very often so ...i wouldn't be aware of which spots were seeded ....on this visit sadly I couldn't get a piccy as i was driving ...and i didn't think it was wise to stop and get out on the motorway
Can you imagine the "headlines twp ditzy is flattened on Welsh bypass"
certainly wouldn't help the BEE-Cause at all

 

Plantlife’s campaign to protect wildflowers and nature on roadside verges

Posted: April 5 2017


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Rural road verges are a vital refuge for wildflowers driven out of our farmland. In turn, wildflowers support our birds, bees, and other wildlife. We want to see road verges managed better while remaining safe for motorists. Not only can this be done – it could save money for local councils too.

Dorset County Council is one of the councils who've adopted Plantlife guidelines for better management of road verges and adopted a new strategy for managing its highway verges in 2014. Since then, the council estimates it has saved £100,000 through, among other things, fewer cuts of road verges. It anticipates a further £50,000 in savings in 2017-18 (Dorset road verge pictured).

Burnley Borough Council is another local authority that's saying no to mowing. I
t estimates that fewer cuts to verges has helped save tens of thousands of pounds.

A recent survey showed strong backing for councils to help wildflowers and the bees that depend on them, by cutting their grass less frequently on roadside verges and in parks.

The YouGov poll, for Friends of the Earth and Buglife, reveals that 81% of the public back the move.

You can add your support by signing our Road Verge petition to encourage more councils to keep road verges safe for wildflowers and nature.

Protect road verges for nature - add your name
Plantlife's Road Verge Campaign

 

So beautiful!

 

Have never seen wild hydrangeas before. They are lovely. Wish I could catch some of those wild lupins. Dug mine out this year as they were a bit sickly and haven't really thrived in pots. Didn't have a bed for them in the garden, but definitely going to try next year. My dad loved lupins.