BB completed the creation of the two new beds in front
of the library. The project was originally started in March 2014 with the clearing of overgrown scrub, young trees and
all sorts of discarded rubbish. The final bed was cleared in April 2016 and both beds now have permanent planting.
BB created an Elizabethan
Garden to replace the upper lawn of the Almonry Lower Garden last year. Rosemary and lavender hedges were used to crate
triangular beds that planted with Canterbury Bells / Tagetes Erecta, Clary Sage / Nicotiana, Sweet Williams / Marigolds,
Celosia / Antirrhinium Majus. This garden proved very successful in its first year.
BB entered the North end of the town in the ‘In
Your Neighbourhood’ category of the South & South East in Bloom 2016 Competition and received level 4 of 5.
The Almonry received a Silver Gilt after another unannounced judging in late June. Battle Cemetery received a Gold award
and the Town centre was entered again, after a break, and received a Silver Gilt.
As wooden containers around the town have succumbed to rot, BB is replacing them with fibre glass containers. This
is in addition to the 20 glass fibre window boxes and 6 large troughs that BTC purchased in 2016 for the Abbey Green and shop
fronts.
BB located three new plastic refuse bins in Market Square
and converted the existing concrete rubbish containers to planters. BB also renewed the wooden surround to the Rainbow
Bed in Market Square that had also rotted away.
BB held four
fund raising events during 2016 – An Evening Talk with Jim Buttress in March (£385), a Coffee Morning (£xx)
in May, a Street Collection (£618) in July and Cream Teas (£70) in the Almonry in August. These raised £xx
(Need figures from Geoff) towards plants and produce.
2016 was
the 950th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and BB chose a floral colour scheme to match the colours of the Bayeux Tapestry
with Rudbeckia for gold, Silver Falls for silver, Begonia for apricot and purple, Calibrachoa for deep purple and terracotta,
Salvia Victoria for blue, and Nicotiana for deep lime.
BB
formed a new plant committee to plan future floral displays and order plug planst for growing on at Uckham Lane Nurseries
where BB rents a greenhouse. BB is moving towards planting more perennial plants each year and has just taken delivery
of the first batch of plug plants for 2017 plugs, which include aquilegia, achillea, astilbe, Echinacea, penstemon, perovskia
and sedum. After potting, they will be planted out in our permanent beds June. BB has chosen a multi-coloured
approach to the town floral display for 2017 rather than a limited palette.
