Hertford Road families got together on Sunday 17 March 2024 and cleared away pavement plants (sometimes called ‘weeds’). This year Brighton & Hove Council is reintroducing Glyphosate treatment to clear street weeds and wildflowers (treatments are planned for April, June and August). Hertford Road residents decided to clear the plants so that the council does not need to treat their street. Residents in Hanover and Elm Grove have already been informed by Councillor Tim Rowkins that their streets won’t be treated with Glyphosate as they don’t have a problem there, so we are hopeful that Hollingdean will also be as fortunate. After objections to glyphosate were raised Councillors promised that streets will be able to apply to opt out if they take care of their weeds and plants are not causing a trip hazard or blocking the way for wheelchair users.
Love them or hate then, pavement plants support a wide range of wildlife in our city
Did you know dandelions are one of the earliest reliable nectar sources? And as spring comes on bees, butterflies, insects and minibeasts are all looking for food. They pollinate blossom and plants which bloom and give us healthy crops later in the year. We really need thriving populations of insects, and you may have noticed that they are declining year on year. In 2023 Parliament how our food security is threatened as pollinating insects have declined by 60% in the last 20 years. And as we know, fewer insects means less bats, birds and the small mammals that feed on them, too.
And glyphosate is very bad for our own health too. Evidence shows it causes various cancers and neurological problems. Treating our streets brings the risk of toxic chemical on our shoes, wheels, hands and is also a danger to pets as well as wild animals. You might want to bear this in mind if your street is treated. Hands and feet off!
So… should we try to keep Glyphosate off our streets as well and how about out of our gardens, too?
It maybe even more important to do everything we can in our own spaces this year. The best way is to keep everything in balance in our own green spaces is gardening organically. Instead of using RoundUp (which is glyphosate) try removing problematic plants by using non-toxic methods such as boiling water, salt, vinegar, mulch and hand weeding. They may disappear altogether or be significantly weakened so that they disappear after a second treatment. Our gardens can thrive with nature blooming in every corner. Try this downloadable guide for dealing with a wide range of pests safely. Who knows, maybe your garden and our streets could become wildlife havens. How exciting it would be to watch that happen
Enjoy your gardening now that spring is truly here! And take care of those lovely pollinators to get the best blooms and biggest crops.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/organic-weedkillers/
https://www.pan-uk.org/gardening-without-pesticides/
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7381/insect-decline-and-uk-food-security
https://www.wisnerbaum.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/roundup-cancer-study/.
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