Bumblebee roundabout, wildflower road verges… save councils money!
Eventually persuaded my Local Council to plant this bumblebee roundabout some time ago. The wildflower charity, Plantlife, has joined up with Alan Titchmarsh and together are asking people to sign a petition to help him convince councils to sign up to his challenge by adopting Plantlife’s guidelines. The more people that sign the better. Has your council already signed up to make your road journey a more pleasant experience AND save them money?!! See below!
My local council planted this roundabout up after I badgered them to do so!!
Alan Titchmarsh is challenging councils to adopt Plantlife’s Guide to Good Road Verge Management:
1. Cut the full width of the verge once a year, no earlier than the end of August and no later than the end of March. Where a road passes through woodland, cutting should be carried out no later than the end of January.
2. Between the beginning of April and the end of August, do not cut the verge except to maintain sight-lines or for other road-safety purposes.
3. Gather and remove cuttings wherever possible.
To receive a full set of Plantlife’s guidelines Join the campaign
See if your council has accepted Alan’s Challenge
More about Plantlife and their work
“All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my teaching and sales of award winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee boxes, and wormeries. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk Thank you” George Pilkington
Every year I have tried to appeal to Bath & east Somerset council’s better nature and requested that they hold off cutting the verges so soon. I wrote an article in our local parish magazine as so many villagers were complaining about it. They wrote back to me to say they would look into it but yet again, this weekend they have been out in full force.
I think they should be named and shamed as they are not interested in public opinion.
It’s so sad as we have so many beautiful varieties in this part of the world. The rare poor man’s asparagus indigenous to this area is one of them.
Keep trying eventually they may listen. It took me quite a while! Cheers, George