Crocus Planting Memorial Park Weds 9th November 2011

Children from Herne Bay Infants Sshool planting crocus in 2010Children from Herne Bay Infants School will again be planting crocus in Herne Bay Memorial Park at 1.30pm on Wednesday 9th November. This will be the sixth year that this event has taken place. The avenue leading up to the War Memorial benefits from the colourful display of these harbingers of Spring in February and March each year thanks to the generous sponsorship of Canterbury City Council's Outdoor Leisure Dept  who supply the crocus corms.It is hoped that a British Legion representative will be in attendance to add extra meaning to the proceedings.

Task Force Day 19th October 2011

Murriel,Mary and Joyce HBIB committee planting up Mortimer St planterColleen Ashwin-Keen discussing planting plan of Mortimer st plantersRay Cordell & Terry Jewiss planting three tier planter in Mortimer StreetThanks to everyone who turned up on quite a cold and draughty morning. Peter Buscall and members of Family Investment Homes gardening team provided the compost and plants.Bob Salter and his  Greenhill St Peter's group dealt with the planters in William Street. Members of the HBIB committee cleared the three tier planters and square planters in Mortimer Street and Terry Jewiss from Herne Horticultural & Rose Society also joined in to help. Colleen Ashwin-Kean HBIB Secretary prepared the overall planting plan and together with Margaret Burns organised the morning. All the planters are now looking bright and cheerful with a mixture of pansies,violas,cyclamen and ivy.Thanks to everyone who  has offered to water and keep an eye on them throughout the winter, Vanessa Field of The Old Firm in Mortimer Street and Pet's Corner and the shopkeepers in William Street and also to Serco Streetscene who helped in clearing away the rubbish bags very quickly on the day. The Herne Bay in Bloom committee are grateful for all the support they get from all these people.

Taskforce Day Weds 19th October

 Friends of Herne Bay in Bloom - how can you help?

We are looking to form a network of “Friends” who can offer help or get involved in a variety of ways to extend our "In Bloom" campaign for next year.

PRACTICAL HELP

Volunteers preparing to re-plant three tier planter in Mortimer Street in the Summer (click on image to view)

The various practical tasks that we are involved in can vary from regular watering and maintenance of troughs and planters throughout the area to the clearing and re-planting of town planters on a seasonal basis and tidying and weeding of specific areas.

We also help support various litter picking campaigns during the course of the year as well as help with events such as Plant Sales, Compost and Bark Re-cycling and Plant Give-away Days.

IT'S YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

This is a section of the RHS In Bloom campaign that we would really like to encourage this year. It is a unique scheme for volunteers/community gardening projects/groups/resident's associations which are focused on clearing up and greening their local area.

Whether it's the estate where you live or the back alley or street that you share or the community centre's outdoor space or your local churchyard or village green, Its Your Neighbourhood is an inclusive non-competitive scheme which welcomes projects/groups of all kinds no matter how small.

All you need to start is a GROUP and an idea for a PROJECT.

The Woodland Trust have been assisting groups across the country offering free native trees for planting in wild life areas and the Herne Bay in Bloom team can offer help and advice in getting started. Click HERE to find out more.

If you have any ideas please contact us - you could be our first IT'S YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECT and really make a difference to your community.

COME AND JOIN US

Our next practical Taskforce Day which involves clearing the town centre planters and replanting for the winter season is on WEDNESDAY 19th OCTOBER 10 o'clock meeting in William Street at Greenstead's Corner. Please bring gardening gloves and a hand trowel and wear suitable clothing.

We would be very pleased to see you if you can help us on this day.

If you would like to help in any other way or have any ideas for any community projects please contact us by email herne_bayinbloom@live.co.uk OR telephone Colleen on 07540 392916.

FRIENDS OF HERNE BAY IN BLOOM     -    HOW CAN YOU HELP?                    

Some gardening news...

If you're one of the tens of thousands of would-be veg gardeners waiting for the keys to an allotment, take heart: the National Trust handed over its 1000th plot this week.

The other 999 allotments, available via Landshare, have helped blow a hole in endless council waiting lists. But, the Trust warns, allotment land could be among casualties of the government's new planning proposals. It's joined the CPRE, RSPB and several other conservation groups in fighting the plans.

Click to read more ...

Rivers of Flowers

What is a River of Flowers?

The 'river' in River of Flowers is an evocative way of describing the planting of urban meadows in 'pollination streams' or 'green corridors' in order to help our pollinators, bees, butterflies and hoverflies, find forage in the city. It describes the flight path of the pollinators as much as it does the flow of wildflowers ... read more

Urban Meadows along Thanet Way (click on images to see your own "rivers of flowers")

Herne Bay in Bloom is planning to plant more areas under their Urban Meadow scheme next year and excitingly we will be able to sell our own seed mix to individuals by Spring 2012. watch this space for more news and we can all start creating our own "rivers of flowers" throughout the area.

Morning Coffee with the Residents of Cavendish Court

HBIB ladies enjoying a cuppa and a chat with some residentsPresenting the Certificate Margaret Burns Chair HBIB, Carol,Warden (click either image to view)Some members of the Herne Bay in Bloom team spent a pleasant morning with some of the residents of Cavendish Court Herne Bay this week and  presented them with their Certificate for our 2011 Gardening Competion in which their Community garden was awarded second place.This category was sponsored by building developers Denne Coplan Ltd and included a £20 Garden Voucher.  Carol, the warden chose the resident to receive the award  on everyone's behalf, a sprightly 90 year old, as it was her son who had kindly planted and maintained the garden during the year and had taken his mother to the garden centre to chose and buy the plants.

Well done to everyone and thank you all for your kind hospitality.

Kentish Apples

 "Can you put a name to every apple growing in your garden? How about every apple in your neighbour's garden?"

What about some of the old Kent varieties such as Kentish Fillbasket known to around pre 1820's a late cooking apple, large with red stripes which cooks to a sweet light puree. Or Kentish Quarrenden a late dessert variety pre 1930's dark maroon in colour with sweet nutty, jucy, cream flesh.

The more modern variety named  Kent ( syn. Malling Kent)  was bred at East Malling Research Station in 1949 by Mr H.M.Tydeman  and introduced to the market in 1974. It is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin & Jonathan. It is a late keeping desert variety which mellows to become sweet and quite scented in the New Year somewhat like it's Cox parent but has a tougher dark red skin reminiscent of its Jonathan background.

Who remembers the Russet apples? - lovely with homemade chutney and crumbly cheese -yum! yum!

Eddington Allotment Site win South & South East In Bloom Discretionary Award 2011

Presentation to Diane & Derek Sidaway at "The Greenhouse" by Margaret BurnsMembers of the Herne Bay in Bloom committee attended a quiz night at the Herne Bay Allotments and Gardeners Association social centre ( "The Greenhouse") on the Eddington Lane allotment site recently to present Site Manager Diane Sidaway with their well deserved South & South East in Bloom Award for the Best Allotment site. Chairman Margaret Burns congratulated both Diane and Derek Sidaway (who has recently retired as Herne Bay in Bloom Chairman) for their hard work and involvement with the In Bloom campaign. She said how impressed the In Bloom judges had been with the unique ladybird shelter plot markers which had really taken their eye.Diane replied by thanking all the allotment holders on the site for taking such care of their plots and helping to keep the Eddington Lane site so tidy,productive and an enjoyable place to be at anytime of the year.Cose-up of Ladybird Shelter Plot marker

Awards Presentation South and South East in Bloom 2011

The 2011 Presentation Ceremony, supported by Southern Water for  10 years, was held at Fontwell Par on Sept 7th. Chairman  of South & South East in Bloom, Peter Holman supported by former Chairman Jim Buttress acted as MC's and TV Gardener Chris Collins presented the Awards.Here are some images of the presentation ceremony.

Top Right. Colleen Ashwin-Kean and Pam Hobbs with the Eddington Lane Allotment Site Award.

Middle Right. Colleen Ashwin-Kean Secretary, & Margaret Burns Chair, with the Gold Ward.

Bottom Right. Colleen & Margaret receiving Kent Life Award

Herne Bay in Bloom win GOLD

The Herne Bay in Bloom  team were thrilled when they attended Fontwell Park South and South East In Bloom Awards presentation day on Sept 7th (sponsored by Southern Water) to hear and not only  had they won the GOLD medal for the class Large Coastal town (population 1200 and over ) but had  also won the Kent Life Award sponsored by Archant Ltd (Publishers) for the  entry in the County with the most  overall points. The Memorial Park achieved a Bronze Award for its first time entry and last but certainly not least Eddington Allotment site won the Judges Discretionary Award  for the Best Allotment Site  in the South and South East. A really marvellous achievement for the town all round.

Click itThe judges report said that they were extremely impressed by the overall commitment of committee members that they met and commended the inspirational leadership of Secretary Colleen Ashwin-Kean.

The involvement of so many community groups was highlighted particularly Appleseed Landscapes for their garden at Eddington Roundabout and the Friends of Curtis Wood Park who had conducted a survey of users as to what they wanted from the park and so created wider paths through the grass and also produced a series of "I-Spy" cards for children.The planting of the derelict area outside Herne Institute by Herne Horticultural & Rose Society and Family Investment Homes was cited as a further example of the enthusiasm and commitment of the In Bloom committee.

They were also complimentary of the hanging baskets, bollard planters and wooden box containers in the Mortimer Street area as well as the transformation of Sea Street roundabout using a sea theme with sustainable planting.

Herne Infants School was congratulated on all the classrooms having a small garden just outside each room where the pupils grew a variety of flowers and vegetables.

They said it was encouraging to see the involvement of Canterbury City Council and Serco Services and concluded by saying that the itinerary and judges tour had allowed the judges to meet many members of the  voluntary organisations, residents and In Bloom committee members who had been so heavily involved  in the campaign throughout the year.

Their comments on the Eddington Lane Allotment site showed that they were very impressed and encouraged by the Environmental garden created by 17 year old Luke Rose and what particularly took their eye was that each allotment plot had their wooden  number posts drilled with holes to provide space for overwintering ladybirds. A truly innovative environmental detail.