A Roadside Restoration Success Story With Custom Seed Mixes

We were so excited to receive an update from one of our bulk seed mix customers, Lanark County. They shared some beautiful photos of their roadside planting, where our native seed mix is growing happily and thriving near Perth, ON. These were taken in August 2024, and the plantings continue to thrive. 

It’s always such a joy to see these projects take root—watching ditches transform from introduced and invasive weeds into pollinator-friendly, biodiverse habitat is what it’s all about. Native wildflowers not only bring beauty to the landscape, they also support essential insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Here's what Michelle Rabbetts, the county's Climate Environmental Coordinator had to say about the project:

"Over the last 5+ years Lanark County has been using native wildflower seed from Northern Wildflowers Inc. to restore pollinator habitat on roadsides following invasive species control. Previously these sections of road were infested with Wild Parsnip, but after several years of controlling the noxious and invasive weed Lanark County has restored these roadsides with pollinator habitat.

The pollinator habitat is full of diverse, flowering plants that are great for pollinators. Residents love to see the showy, colourful displays along the roadside in the summertime. The pollinator habitat provides services like flood control, water filtration and carbon storage in the soil to support climate resiliency. Full roadside with flowering plants also hold the space and slow down the spread of invasive species, providing natural control method.

Lanark County relies on the quality native seed provided by Northern Wildflowers to create these biodiverse roadsides with habitat for pollinators. The expertise and professional services provided by Northern Wildflowers has always been exceptional and very reliable.

Details of the projects:

CR21 – Elm Grove Road:

Project was established in 2021 by prepping the site with a combination of tilling and spraying. In the fall 2021 it was seeded with Lanark County’s custom seed mix from Northern Wildflowers. The site included a trial of wood chips tilled into the soil for weed suppression. Now into year 4 of the project, the roadside is frequently filled with yellow, purple and pink blooms all summer long.

CR1 – Rideau Ferry Road:

Project was established in 2022 by prepping the site with a combination of tilling and spraying. In the fall 2022, it was seeded with Lanark County’s custom seed mix from Northern Wildflowers. The site included a trial of mycorrhizae in the soil to suppress weeds and promote native plant growth. Now into year 3 of the project, the roadside is packed with blooming plants along the Darou Farm walking trail outside of Perth and along other segments travelling towards Rideau Ferry.

Both projects were supported by our partners at the Canadian Wildlife Federation." (Michelle Rabbetts).

We absolutely love supplying seed for restoration projects like these, that improve habitat and communities all at the same time!