Last year welcomed the first year of South Derbyshire District Council’s pictorial wildflower pilot scheme. Four sites were selected within the District and we were very pleased that two of the sites were located within our Ward. The first, just outside Repton on Hartshorne Road and the second on Ticknall Road, Ticknall.

The planting, which was completed early in the year, soon yielded stunning results– adding a welcome splash of colour on the edge of both villages. The wildflower displays included Cornflowers, Corn Marigolds and Poppies. Many residents have been in touch to say how pretty the displays were and hoped they would return the following year.

Councillor Kerry Haines and Councillor Andrew Churchill are pleased to report that they will bloom again this year and work will soon begin to encourage similar results. With this particular type of pictorial planting, the seeds need to be resown each year which involves additional work and cost so we will shortly be trialling an alternative wildflower pilot scheme in the District, this time using a different cutting regime on some of our rural verges to encourage indigenous wildflowers to grow.

With this alternative scheme, the results will not be as quick – it may take a few years for us to reap the benefits but we believe it will be worth the wait. This is part of our commitment to the environment for our future generations.

Some of our Parishes have expressed an interest in doing their own wildflower and tree planting. The Conservative Councillors have started to work with them to ensure that planting is done in the right place at the right time. Hopefully we will see more of these displays across our District in the future.