Greening Wakefield from scratch

If you’ve visited Wakefield city centre recently, you might have noticed new vibrant green areas, particularly in the Civic Quarter. Our Rangers have been out and about preparing new planters and introducing colourful plants into existing ones.

But did you know that we’ve grown most of these plants completely from scratch? Our greenhouse at Thornes Park has been buzzing with activity for months, preparing plants to move into their new homes. Our rangers started from scratch with individual seeds that they’ve grown into the bright plants you see today.

Growing our own plants, rather than buying them in, could save the Council thousands of pounds. Individual packs of seeds can cost less than £1 yet contain over 100 seeds. When the plants grow, we are able to take seeds from them and grow even more for another bed. So, there is great potential for only a small amount of money.

The new plants are herbaceous. While they die back in the winter, they grow back stronger the following year. When growing, they expand to cover all available space, so the rangers can also split plants from one bed and move them to another somewhere else.

The new plants have significantly improved biodiversity. Take a brief look at the flowers and you will see them buzzing with wildlife and pollinators, like dragonflies, bees and butterflies.

Projects like this are creating outdoor areas that people can enjoy in an urban landscape. Whether they’re having their lunch nearby or just taking a walk. The colourful new additions can boost people’s mental health - and are a lot nicer to look at than grey concrete.

Greening up our urban spaces is important. Not only does it help to improve air quality by taking in carbon dioxide, but planters and flower beds offer a chance to capture rainwater. When water lands on concrete or asphalt, it isn’t absorbed. So while the rain feeds the soil and flowers, it also reduces the appearance of puddles.

We believe that creating these fabulous green spaces shouldn’t take its toll on the planet. The team has been investing in new battery-powered equipment like lawnmowers, strimmers and leaf blowers, to replace petrol ones. This helps improve the air quality, but also reduces noise nuisance.

You can find new planters in the Jubilee and Coronation Gardens near County Hall, as well as around Wakefield One, as well as wildflowers on the Kirkgate roundabout. There are even some sensory beds behind Wakefield One, where the plants within have been specifically chosen as they are comforting to touch.

If you want to bring some biodiversity to your garden, why not grow your own? One cheap packet of seeds can bring some colour, which pollinators love.