How to Achieve a Wildflower Verge
Walking a remote Cornish footpath a couple of weeks ago we heard the continuous music of bees and butterflies, a delicious murmuring and humming. The footpath was flanked with hedges and verges of succulent ivy flowers and juicy, ripe blackberries.
Sea Campion bedecked the verges too and fluttering upon the ivy pollen feast were dozens and dozens of Red Admirals and more bees than we had ever seen in one place.
Bees and butterflies on ivy flowers
Did you know that road verges are home to over 700 species of wildflower, including 29 of 52 species of wild orchid? Verges are a last remaining refuge for many bees, butterflies, birds, bats and bugs. Since the 1950’s hedgehogs have declined by 95%. We have lost 50% of our moths and butterflies; moth caterpillars are food for the young chicks of many birds. Such an example is the rarely heard cuckoo, which feeds on hairy caterpillars such as the Tiger Moth.
Good News
There’s good news from Dorset, where native wildflowers have been allowed to grow on verges, now home to half the butterfly species in the UK, including the small blue. Closer to home, our local contractors are inundated with requests to manage our gardens as wild meadow. How promising is that?
To encourage native flowers to thrive on your verge or bank undertake just two mowings a year, March and September. Remove the cuttings because wildflowers thrive in poor soil, whilst cuttings enrich the soil. You can also plant the semi-parasitic Yellow Rattle as this stifles grass growth by up to 50%, feeding on grass roots. Yellow Rattle has made room for orchids in this local garden.
Yellow Rattle and orchids in a local garden.
This resident has about 50 orchids in her garden.
Would you like a wildflower verge or bank?
If you would like a verge like the one outside The Galleries, then email: info@meadowinmygarden.co.uk; they have very kindly offered free advice to everyone!
The Galleries verge before - devoid of pollen, and after sowing wildflower seed
You can also buy wildflower plugs, but nature will do its thing and the orchids are just waiting to pop up as they did in our park. The first bee food of summer are dandelions if you can tolerate a few, and the last food before winter is the ivy flower.
Article by Denise Barnes
NATURE CHAIN would love to hear from you so if you have a little story and some photos about your wildlife gardening, please send it in to thenaturechain@gmail.com