A HOUSING development in Monmouthshire has been given a splash of natural colour worthy of Claude Monet, thanks to an environmental scheme to beautify the county and provide wildlife with a lush habitat.

Monmouthshire County Council's grounds team planted beds of wildflowers in Bowen Gardens, Monmouth, as part of its commitment to the county's Pollinator Policy and The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, a spokeswoman for the local authority said.

Bowen Gardens is managed by Monmouthshire Housing Association, with whom the council recently signed a lucrative contract to continue providing maintenance work at more than 250 sites in the county.

"The council grounds team prepared and installed the display approximately two years ago, on behalf of Monmouthshire Housing Association as part of our grounds maintenance partnership," the council spokeswoman said.

Now, as the warmer weather is expected to arrive, the flowers are in full bloom, providing a haven for bees, birds, and other wildlife – as well as a vivid landscape for residents to enjoy.

"Throughout the spring and summer we allow the display to flower and set seed, in autumn and winter months wildlife continue to use it as a natural habitat to thrive and prosper," the spokeswoman added. "The seed is dispersed naturally throughout the area and supplies additional new plants for the following season.

"We prune the spent vegetation to approximately six inches during April, and the display is then left to develop and flower throughout the season.

"The project continues through the year as many roundabouts and open spaces bloom with wild flowers.’