Atkins Road/Clarence Avenue Bee Road

Two verges, wrapping around the lower half of Agnes Riley Gardens on Clarence Avenue and Atkins Road, were turned into Bee Roads in spring 2023 with help from the Friends of Agnes Riley Gardens.

Volunteers broadcast wildflower seeds mixed with sawdust onto a layer of low-fertility soil. Once seeds were rolled in, the verges were covered with horticultural fleece to keep the soil warm and encourage germination and protect young seedlings as they emerged. Different interventions were trialled at this site, including varying depths of low-fertility soil, use of a biodegradable membrane under the soil to reduce weed ingress, as well as different seed mixes. In early evaluation, substrate depth and membrane were not found to have had a significant effect on the number of flowering species in the verge, however we will continue to evaluate this as the verges develop. 

The seed mixes are 100% UK native species, including annual and perennial flowers and grasses. Flowers to look out for in these sunny verges include yarrow, kidney vetch, ladies' bedstraw, ribwort plantain, ox-eye daisy, knapweeds and cowslip. These verges will be cut annually in the autumn, with clippings removed. Where verges are particularly fertile, as many in Lambeth are, extra early spring ‘cut-and-collects’ may be carried out to keep fertility down.

We are grateful for the support of the Friends group in creating these verges, and for their ongoing work to enhance the biodiversity of the park. The group meets regularly and runs gardening and food-growing activities. To find out more, visit Friends of Agnes Riley Gardens

We have also been working with a local residents group, Clarence Avenue Growers, at the other end of Clarence Avenue on an ongoing reduced-mowing trial to review biodiversity gains from less frequent cuts to the verges, which are showing promising results. This group run the community garden on the corner of Clarence Avenue and Kings Avenue.

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