Wildflower Planting on Verges

During the Environmental Committee meeting on 28th February, members approved a wildflower planting initiative for the town’s verges.

Owing to budget considerations, the project will be implemented in stages.

The first year will see planting on these verges:

From Woodhorn Village to Woodhorn allotments and along North Seaton Road.

The second year’s planting will target these areas:

Milburn Park, Woodlea (across from De Baliol Care Home), and Central Parkway.

Verges abundant with native wildflowers foster greater biodiversity, are more adaptable to environmental shifts, improve ecological links, and offer superior ecosystem services like pollination. Often overlooked and undervalued, road verges can be havens for wildlife, both plants and animals. Roadside verges cover a large area of the UK and are crucial habitats for many rare and declining native species.

Land preparation and sowing of seeds will be carried out mechanically by WL Straughan and Son Ltd and we are currently working with Northumberland County Council to finalise the arrangements and approvals in relation to their grass cutting regimes.

Here’s some mock up of what this could look like.