The urban meadow at Boston’s Haven Bridge, which provided a spectacular show of colour when it was first created, impressing the in-bloom judge who awarded the town its first gold medal, has had a makeover.
The ground has been raised with the addition of 100 tonnes of material donated by Vere Bros (Contractors so that the new wild flower displays can be more easily seen by drivers queued in traffic on the bridge.
Volunteers have now sown wild flower seed and planted the area up. The meadow has been created on wasteland to attract pollinating insects.
It is expected to flower from May to November and will include a mix of native and non-native annuals and a perennial bee and butterfly mix. The annual mix includes Virginia stocks mixed, Larkspur mixed, Echium, Cornflower mixed, Cosmos mixed, Californian Poppy, Clary, Gypsophilia, Candytuft, Chrysanthemum mixed, Migonette, Night Scented Stock and Calendula. Extra soil has been kindly donated by Vere Bros (Contractors) Ltd to landscape the site.
Boston in Bloom volunteers John Bird and Paul Collingwood were on hand to help with the sowing, along with Boston Borough Council town centre officer Teresa Key. The Boston in Bloom project helps to “bring the countryside into the town” connecting habitat to aid the movement of pollinators in the wider landscape. Pollinating insects, such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies, are in national decline and play an important role in food production.
