Roadside seed mixes

Jane Mackintosh has sent an email regarding clover-sown road verges, similar to one I saw at Helmsdale.  These are in Midlothian on the new Dalkeith by-pass and by Rosewell. There were no flowers in November but very large leaves, suggesting an agricultural variety here also.  A search on the internet by Jane revealed that there is an official Department of Transport mixture for roadside use.  This is a mix for hard wear, with quick establishment, short growth, good root stability and improves fertility. Will tolerate road salt and exhaust fumes.  Mow as necessary or twice a year to 75-100mm.  For info, the mix is  25% Perennial ryegrass, 20% Creeping red fescue, 30% Hard fescue, 10% Smooth stalked meadow grass, 10% Brown top bent, 5% White clover.

The white clover is a popular bumblebee and honeybee flower, though the larger agricultural varieties may favour the longer-tongued species.  A low productivity, species-rich roadside verge habitat could be very useful in some areas, and Orkney has championed 'conservation verges', which are used there by great yellow bumblebee, among other species. However, the proximity of good bumblebee habitat to busy roads could be a problem, especially if the surrounding areas are very poor, thereby concentrating the bees in the best habitat patches.  The well-known charity fund-raiser Lloyd Scott, he of the Deep Sea Diver suit and the London Marathon, has recently completed a walk from Lands End to John O'Groats, and phoned in to say that the commonest roadkill, sadly, was bumblebees.  I think this shows that what we do to help bees in our gardens, parks and the wider countryside is important, and hopefully the impact of roads on our bumblebee numbers will be negligible.