Swans Nest Wildflower Area

Swaffham Town Council have been working with TTSR Ltd to improve the town green spaces, with consideration to increasing biodiversity and reducing emissions where possible.

At the Swan’s Nest Estate, in order to protect the durability of the existing knee rail fencing by reducing the chance of strimmer damage, we have introduced nearly 700 metres of wildflower turf around the housing estate.

At the end of March quality strips of turf were laid around the fencing already seeded with a blend of 31 native wildflower and 3 types of grass, which would be typically found in a hay meadow. The grasses serve to prevent the soil from drying out, provide shelter and perches for insects including butterflies and food for birds.

A multitude of wildflowers are allowed to flourish around the fenced areas, providing swathes of colour and attractive aromas for everyone to enjoy. The provision of habitats and pollen for insects, including bees and butterflies is also extremely important for our support of the natural environment.

The flowers were in full colour by May and are still looking great in July, giving the bees plenty of time to visit. The majority of the flowers are perennial, so they will grow back year after year.

The areas of growth are monitored and we returned in June to pull up certain self-seeded plants, such as thistles in the area to prevent them from seeding again. This allows for the other plants to flourish and means that savings can be made on fuel and maintenance costs through the year, by only needing to strim around the wooden posts once in the autumn. The growth will be dormant in the winter months and then spring up again when the soil begins to warm up around March or April.