The City of Edinburgh Council has a lot to be proud of in their work supporting pollinators as part of the Edinburgh Living Landscape programme. From creating floral meadows, to changing management of amenity grasslands, they are doing a huge amount for pollinators in our capital. When Alan Bell, Greenspace Manager for City of Edinburgh Council, met with Alice Brawley from Scottish Natural Heritage he explained the background to much of the work they’re doing.
The Greenspace team in the city’s Parks, Greenspace & Cemeteries service, create and manage so many sites that they are well placed to give an informed insight into practices and perceptions around changes in grassland management.
Edinburgh Living Landscape, (which The City of Edinburgh Council are a part of), is a partnership set up to restore and connect green spaces in the city which is creating a biodiverse landscape that residents, visitors and nature can enjoy.
Good results are the outcome of a lot of planning. Working closely with Scotia seeds, they developed an ‘Edinburgh Biodiversity Seed Mix’ made of both annuals and perennials of native and non-native species. The result was often wondrous displays of colour, and pollinator friendly havens, throughout the summer months.
As more wild seed companies come onto the market, Alan offered the following advice:
“try and buy from companies which identify the
percentage of each type of seed in the mix to
ensure the mix is not dominated by the
poorest quality and cheapest seed type.”
Many observers encourage the planting of perennial mixes over annuals for their long-term sustainability. Once established, no more sowing needs to take place so this approach can be cheaper in the long run and often provides significantly more forage for pollinators. However, as they can take longer to establish, flowering displays won’t always be seen until year 2 or 3. Edinburgh opted for annuals at some sites to give pleasing results in the first year. These need to be re-sown every year but require less weed management from the offset.
Alan noted the anticipated difficulty of changing public opinion on the attractiveness of meadows as an alternative landscape design out of season. This decision might resonate with other councils which have experienced the ‘pressure’ of ensuring sites preserve a ‘managed’ look all year round.
Management of 80-sites across a sprawling city is no easy task, and Alan reckoned this is the maximum number of sites he and his team could support with their current resources. Meadows require fewer cuts per annum which saves money. However, Alan emphasised a need for care and discretion when selling wildflower management as a direct cost-saving strategy, especially within councils whose grounds maintenance staff are already stretched for resources. The time saved on cutting can create more time to maintain shrubs, flower beds, hedges and grassed area.
Lifting of cuttings is an important part of the meadow management process and Alan identified this as one of the biggest challenges. Meadows can benefit from cuttings being left for 1 – 2 weeks to allow seeds to drop back into the earth. However, from a logistical perspective, it is easiest to remove cuttings all in one go.
To dispose of cuttings from so many sites is also a challenge. Alan’s team tried to liaise with farmers to do the cutting and lifting on their meadows, where they can then use the by-products for hay. Due to the poor quality of the cuttings, this was not a great success. Despite the challenges presented, Alan’s already thinking about how to overcome these hurdles for next year.
Floral meadows aren’t the only action Edinburgh City Council has implemented. They have created naturalised grasslands to encourage biodiversity by reducing cutting and planting yellow rattle at sites to discourage grass growth. They don’t cut hedges in summer to give pollinators an opportunity to nest.
When the Edinburgh Living Landscape project was first introduced, staff were at the centre. They made good progress working to chance perceptions both internally and to the wider public. It can be hard to change people’s mind set on the value of weeds for pollinators, especially if you’ve been brought up thinking they’re a problem.
Councillors were briefed and given Q&A cards on the benefits of meadows to support them in answering questions and complaints regarding changes in land use
Finally came engagement with the public. Signs were added at every site to show the site is being maintained and managed for biodiversity. Now, 4-5 years down the line, Alan has noticed a huge improvement in the acceptance of meadows – from colleagues changing their opinions to fewer public complaints.
When it comes to creating a pollinator-friendly Scotland, councils are at the forefront. Talking to Alan certainly emphasised the value of councils sharing good practice across the whole country.
Alice Brawley, Pollinator Strategy Graduate Placement
Edinburgh Living Landscapes is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, The City of Edinburgh Council, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, The University of Edinburgh, Butterfly Conservation Scotland and the RSPB. Working in partnership, the Edinburgh Living Landscape aims to improve the ecosystem health of Edinburgh for the benefit of local people and wildlife.
Scottish pollinators 