I am not such a great driver right now. Whenever I am on the road, I keep getting distracted by the verges, like this one on the A421 towards Cambridge.
I could bash on about how nature does it so much better than us, but you've probably heard that all before. It is interesting, though, how similar some road verges are to some of the planting at Chelsea this year, as Alys Fowler pointed out to me when I bumped into her at the show. I keep seeing amazing specimens of milk thistles (I think), but not in places I can stop the car!
It's the fullness, the boldness and the sheer exuberance of the poppies lining this drainage ditch that I want to recreate in my own garden. And on my green - by which I mean still mostly brown - roof. I am hoping that through my complete lack of intervention, something wonderful will happen up there and I'll end up with a lovely motorwy verge-style display to be enjoyed from my bedroom window. Perhaps today's rain will get it on its way. Otherwise I shall have to publish a rather ridiculous thing that's been rattling around my head the last few days, a sort of sub-Muddy Waters number entitled "I Got the Green Roof Blues".
Anyhow. Having long since run out of money for new plants for my still yawningly empty beds, I have resorted to sowing lots of perennial seeds, as I have already said. For some reason that's mainly verbascums right now - who knew they were ridiculously easy to grow? Cenolophium denudatum, on the other hand, scorns me. As does Eryngium bourgatii and some unusual clematis from Everett Leeds of the Clematis Society. Humph.
So the verbascums will have to do for the minute, but I am taking inspiration from the Leeds City Council garden at Chelsea, which featured them along with British native fox and cubs or Pilosella aurantiaca. I've already got P. aurantiaca up on the roof, will have to consult the green roof literature and see if the verbascums will have a chance up there, too...
It's the look of a weed infested arable field.. Flat with generous spreads of limited number of colourful plants. Hard to keep going over a long season but annuals do flower longer than perennials and people sell mixes with the weeds of arable fields in them. Wouldn't that be the nearest to your ideal?
Have also seen beautiful grasses on road verges...
Come to think of it - maybe someone sells 'motorway' mix?!
XXXXXXX
Posted by: Anne Wareham | June 12, 2011 at 10:10 PM
Just wanted to say hi from Northamptonshire! I got your book "The Allotment Kepper's Handbook" and am loving it! I am your 50th follower ;-)
Posted by: Katherine Grant | June 24, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Thanks Katherine, glad you liked the book!
Posted by: Jane Perrone | June 28, 2011 at 09:49 PM
I'm wondering whether the spending cuts will mean we'll have more opportunities for glorious roadside sights like this one. The verges by us have been spectacular lately and I'm sure there's been less cutting being done this year.
I read somewhere that people find unmown verges acceptable as long as there's a thin roadside strip kept trimmed, which also helps to keep the sight lines clear. I wish I'd kept hold of the source piece as I'm desperate to blog about it!
Posted by: Veg Plotting | June 29, 2011 at 09:58 AM
I love the idea of "motorway mix"
Posted by: Anna Hillman | September 07, 2011 at 11:58 AM