Written by A new community ‘Pollinator Patch’ has been created outside the Charlbury Bowls Club to provide a nectar-rich resource for bees and other pollinators, thanks to support from the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE) and the Charlbury Garden Society.
Wild Oxfordshire received a grant of £494 from TOE with funding from Grundon Waste Management Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund, supplemented by £100 kindly provided by the Charlbury Garden Society, to carry out their community ‘Pollinator Patch’ project during the autumn. Support was provided by local ecologist Katherine Holmes (Rediscover Nature) alongside the Charlbury Town Council and local volunteers.
This project uses pollinator-friendly plants such as Rosemary and Echinops to provide a food resource and safe-haven for these important insects. Located in the car park at the entrance to the Bowls Club, the new planting forms an attractive focal point, replacing a previously bare expanse of soil.
The planting scheme has been designed both for the enjoyment of visitors and the benefit of pollinators, which are suffering from habitat loss. Plant species with attractive flowers that bloom over a long season have been selected to provide insects with food throughout the year. Many plants also have stems and leaves that persist through the winter, providing shelter for invertebrates.
Plants were sourced from a local nursery, and peat free compost was used along with biodegradable plant pots.
