Kitchen Garden Forum

Does anybody know what the law is on planting bulbs along public footpaths? We have one near us that has recently been cleared of all the surrounding undergrowth, ivy and brambles because it runs alongside somebody's garden where new fencing has been installed. (The undergrowth had to be cleared before the fencing contractors could start work).
Now we just have a horrible long bank of bare earth. I thought it would be nice to plant a few daffodils so they could start naturalising, and possibly transplant a few primroses from my garden to brighten it up but don't want to be caught for dumping litter !!

Hi Primrose,
There is, as you would expect, a law covering these plantings. Your Parish Council should be able to supply you with the details. A few years ago a local Naturalist complained that people were planting domestic plants on the verges, Daffodils in particular, that would destroy the stain of natural
Daffodils that grow in this area and planting was stopped and the ones already there had to be removed. Since then small varieties have been grown in defiance of the council order and they are a wonderful sight and the naturalist popped his clogs so there are no more complaints.
When you consider it, the plantings the other side of the hedge are totally legal and would have the same devastating effect on the natural Daffodils so it's the usual load of old cobblers. To date no differences noted! I would enquire though.
JB.

That's interesting Johnboy. I hadn't thought about the effect that "domestic cultivars" might have on wild daffodils, although I don't think we've got any wild ones around here. I'll enquire from our Parish Council and see what they have to say.

just be aware that most of the parish council probably know less than you do, it may be better to just carry on without asking anyone, if caught and told off politly jabber in broken english and scarper