The installation of a new verge to calm traffic and reduce flooding on Atkins Road provided the perfect opportunity to create a biodiverse meadow. The build out in front of La Retraite School was covered with a low-fertility soil and seeded by pupils from the school’s gardening club in early March 2023. Seeds were mixed with sawdust to make even distribution easier and then trodden into the soil. The area was fenced until flowers established.
A long-flowering seed mix was chosen to provide as much visual interest as possible. Flowers to spot in this verge include wildflowers such as cowslip, yarrow, wild marjoram, ox-eye daisy, rose campion, field scabious and meadow buttercup in addition to some garden varieties such as coneflower and Carthusian pinks. The verge is cut in the autumn with the clippings removed to help keep soil fertility low. Fallen leaves are removed in the winter to prevent them from smothering wildflowers as they rot, and – thanks to the activities of local squirrels - horse chestnut seedlings are weeded out.
We are grateful to the gardening club at La Retraite for their support in seeding the verges and for their ongoing work to make their school grounds more biodiverse.
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Location
Address
Atkins Road
Balham
London
United Kingdom
location
Other information
A colourful wildflower verge outside La Retraite School