Winter 2023

GREEN ROOFS
HARNESSING THE
POWER OF POLLINATORS
By Julian Thurbin, Director, Wallbarn.
Bees and their pollinator pals are
vital to our health and economy,
but they are under increasing
pressure from loss of habitat,
pesticides, climate change and invasive
species, such as Asian hornets, which
can wipe out colonies in days.
Research carried out in 2019 valued the
work of bees at around £670 million in
terms of the UK crops they pollinate
each year. The cost of employing
people to do this was estimated at £1.8
billion four years ago, demonstrating
the immense value that pollinators
bring to the economy.
Studies have also shown that crops
requiring pollination are five times
more valuable than those that
don’t – and having a bee colony
close to crops can dramatically
increase their yield. With one
in every three mouthfuls of
our food said to depend upon
pollinators such as bees, it’s easy
to see why ensuring they thrive is so
important.
Landmark
Many of these topics were discussed
at a recent Bee Fayre in Wootton St
Lawrence, Hampshire,
to mark the 400th
anniversary of the
publication of The
Feminine Monarchie,
a study of the lives of
bees by The Rev. Charles
Butler, considered by
many to be the father of
English beekeeping. The
Rev Butler was, from
1660 until his death in
Left: Julian Thurbin. Above: Having a bee colony next to crops can dramatically
increase their yield. Below: The Feminine Monarchie by The Rev. Charles Butler.
1647, vicar of Wootton St
Lawrence parish church,
where he is buried. The fayre
marked the publication of his
landmark work which identified that
hives were female – and not male – led.
Coincidentally, Wootton St Lawrence
is also home to Wallbarn’s green roof
nursery beds. It’s here,
in conjunction with
Sedum Growers, that
we plant, nurture and
harvest the sedum
and wildflowers for
our award-winning
modular M-Tray green
roof cassettes. Less of a
coincidence is that our
nursery has beehives
on site; the sedum and
native British wildflowers we grow to
maturity before dispatching to site as
part of the M-Tray system provide a
perfect and complete food source for
bees, both those cultivated for honey
and the wild bee population in the area.
David Holloway, joint Managing Director
of Sedum Growers, was instrumental
in organising the Bee Fayre. He said:
“The event was a celebration to tell the
whole bee story to our communities,
providing education and a practical
understanding of the importance of
bees and pollinators in a sustainable
biodiverse environment.”
Wallbarn has long been a cheerleader
for bees and it’s becoming more
Continued on page 16 >>>
14 GREENSCAPE WINTER 2023 • www.greenscapemag.co.uk