That the scheme started as a cost-saving measure might be telling, given that more specific criticism comes from ecologists. Joshua Styles, project co-ordinator of the North-West Rare Plant Initiative<\/a>, is one such critic,\u00a0and his concerns are threefold. Firstly, the mix of species\u00a0shows these displays are anything but natural and contain lots of non-native species.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile these may be good for a few general pollinators, they support far fewer invertebrates than natural, native verges,\u201d says Styles. \u201cHistory has taught us that introducing non-natives is not a good idea,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Secondly, most of the sown plants are arable weeds, which need to fall on bare\u00a0soil in order to establish. So, the process of creating the display involves the wholesale destruction of existing vegetation, usually by spraying with a broad-spectrum herbicide, such as glyphosate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, the message these mixes portray is that this is what a wildflower\u00a0meadow should look like, and what that does is encourage people\u00a0to sow the same sort of mix elsewhere,\u201d Styles\u00a0says. \u201cIt\u2019s worrying that anyone can buy\u00a0something sold as a \u2018wildflower mix\u2019\u00a0and spread it where they like.\u00a0Councils are\u00a0often doing this at scale without any kind of ecological survey first to see what natives might be disadvantaged or even crowded out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pros and cons<\/h4>\n
Native verges may be less showy than sown meadows, but natural seed banks can produce astounding diversity and botanical gems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sown verges<\/strong>, if carefully planned, have the advantage of long, continuous flowering and bespoke, impactful colour schemes. On the downside, non-native plants may not be as attractive to pollinators or provide food for larvae, there is a small risk that some may become invasive, and mixes based on arable weeds require the destruction of existing vegetation every year.<\/p>\n
Natural verges<\/strong>, managed sensitively, can be extraordinarily diverse and ecologically complex, and support specialist plants adapted to local conditions. However, they are less predictable, less showy, may take a few years to develop, may have gaps in flowering and suffer from the perception that they are untidy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo:\u00a0Wildflowers on a road verge in Northern Ireland. \u00a9 Matt Pitts\/Plantlife<\/em><\/p>\n
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The Rotherham river of flowers is the product of a bespoke seed mix, produced by Pictorial Meadows<\/a>, a Sheffield-based company that also supplies many other councils and was responsible for the much-admired display at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park<\/a> in London. Marketing strategist Sam Holloway says the company goes to great lengths to get each mix right.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes about five years to perfect a mix \u2013 we want to ensure continuity of flowering so that pollinators gain maximum benefit and you get a nice succession of colour, which changes to maintain visual impact throughout the flowering period,\u201d Holloway says.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0goes on to explain that the chosen species\u00a0are unlikely to become invasive precisely because they are cleared every year or two, and are easily crowed out by subsequent growth should the seeds fall elsewhere.<\/p>\n
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Learn more about identifying flowers:\u00a0<\/h4>\nHow to identify spring wildflowers<\/a><\/li>\nHow to identify early spring blooms<\/a><\/li>\nHow to identify orchids<\/a><\/li>\nHow to identify non-native summer flowers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/p><\/div> <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n