You may have noticed dead patches around the village hall and wondered why they are there. They are in fact intentional and will soon be green again, this time with wildflowers instead of grass!

Beca Beeby, who lives in Devauden, has planned and performed all of the work. Beca designs and builds edible gardens, and has a special interest in wildlife & bee friendly landscapes. The majority of her work is on the edible garden and the Aquaponics at Humble by Nature, but Beca wanted to help transform the Hall grounds this year and help Devauden become a more 'bee friendly' village. The idea came into being when Beca mentioned to John  Rowlands and Jeremy Horton what she did for a living, and they both expressed a desire to see the hall grounds in bloom, and to provide food and habitat for our valuable wildlife. 

She has chosen a special mix of wildflowers to suit the conditions and provide long lasting interest, as well as the well loved cornfield annuals and a nectar rich mix . So as well as looking beautiful they will provide much needed forage for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.         

The seeds were sown in the week after Easter, and some of the faster growing species could flower within6-8 weeks if the weather is right, whilst others will not flower until 2016.The flowers will be along both sides of the perimeter fence at the front of the hall, and in the lower corner of the playing field. 

Due to the tricky conditions of the land-a mixture of shade and sun, of damp and dry areas, the flowers chosen are less of the 'cornfield' variety and more hedgerow and woodland species, many of which will grow naturally on our verges and layby's if we resisted cutting & strimming for the spring & summer months. We hope the project will inspire others to do the same wherever possible. 

Wildflower areas are cut at specific times of the year to allow maximum reseeding for next year, so they will not be mown until September.To some this may look 'messy' or chaotic, but we hope that people will remember the flowers and begin to have a slight change of mindset. 

The areas will be cordoned off to reduce accidental damage to the young seedlings so please try to prevent children and animals from playing on them.