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Bedding Plants and Councils

lukeyb11lukeyb11 Posts: 2
in Plants
 Why do councils and many local authorities have an obsession with bedding plant displays.

I have always thought adding more herbaceous borders and country cottage garden planting would be so much more interesting and feesable in the long term as the plants would not be replaced each year and also be more wildlife friendly.

Would be nice to hear others thoughts on this topic.



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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Not just councils, why does anyone still do it? Most of them are just so tacky IMHO. French Marigolds????? mutant dwarf freaks of plants. 
    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hostafan1 said:
    Not just councils, why does anyone still do it? Most of them are just so tacky IMHO. French Marigolds????? mutant dwarf freaks of plants. 
    Don't hold back Hosta.... :D
    I'd agree with you Luke, but I expect there's a good reason  - in many areas, they grow them all themselves and it's become a  'thing' in it's own right. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Up here some of the councils are going for more naturalistic planting schemes on roundabouts. They are a credit to them. We also have some themed roundabouts ie Japanese, old boat & seaside, patterns with gravel etc. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Our council has been doing wildflower planting on some of the roundabouts etc in recent years.  I suspect they are looking for less expensive alternatives.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Our council  has invested in troughs to hang on the pedestrian railings at junctions, and circular tiered 'fountain' style planters. They were glorious all summer with a mix of petunias, lobelia and trailing begonias in pastel shades, and made waiting at the traffic lights a pleasure instead of a pain :)
    They now have violas, ivy and tiny conifers.
    I think ours grow their own mostly, in the parks dept. When I was still teaching they used to offer work experience to our special needs kids and I went to visit them several times.
  • lukeyb11lukeyb11 Posts: 2
    I was at a meeting yesterday where I asked if there was any way we could introduce some new planting ideas to the borders and beds through the town I live in but felt like it was difficult to convince peope of the benefits. I do believe bedding is useful for certain areas but what I find is its overused and if new ideas and planting schemes are incorporated it should be more financially beneficial in the longterm and may help to educate the public who are not gardeners become a little more educated on different types of plants and planting.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Our council have closed the enormous glasshouses they used to use to raise bedding plants, due to the costs involved.  They have also switched to using perennials and grasses etc.and there is definitely more of a wildlife friendly aim.
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    AnniD said:
    Our council have closed the enormous glasshouses they used to use to raise bedding plants, due to the costs involved.  They have also switched to using perennials and grasses etc.and there is definitely more of a wildlife friendly aim.
    You could call that a happy consequence of public cost cuttings. ;)
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    There are some areas still do it nearer the coast, different councils, county or town etc.
    The seaside areas still seem to have some degree of formal bedding schemes.
    But overall it has become less popular.

    In our local area there are more perennial looking schemes coming in on roundabouts, some were being sponsored a while back by local businesses. So you had large signs which just spoiled the effect.
    They have improved a good deal.
    Past ones have include big orange cannas, which looked fantastic, then they added a load of pink things, which spoiled it, the effect was not a good one.

    I can see why some people manage to drive straight over some of them. :D
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I think the old style of bedding out is a throwback to a past era when it was more popular. There is an episode of the "Victorian Flower garden" that talks about it all, but even then it was known to be very wasteful, & Peter Thoday talks about some of the adverse reactions with one critic of the time talking about the "hideous miles of pink & red Pelargoniums".
    Like others our council have done some wildflower plants on Roundabouts and troughs & baskets on the high street. On the verges of the A1 and the A41 they planted masses of Daffodils 2-3 years ago they have been giving a lovely spring display each spring ever since. 
    AB Still learning

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