Oakham in Bloom 2021
EXOTIC NEW PLANTING
RUTLAND GARDEN CENTRE
Our new partnership with Rutland Garden Village has seen a major investment into the towns planters. The coordinated colour schemes and use of foliages coupled to the very good quality of plants has certainly made an impression within the town.
The scheme will be in keeping with our perennial and exotic planting schemes. The planters have been strategically placed to maximise their impact on the High Street. Some areas of the High Street cannot accommodate planters so we have focused on Community Hub, Gaol Street and towards Melton Road where planters and businesses are able to plant. We also have planting at the end of Mill Street with many local businesses and the Courtyard. In addition the Church Street Parking is linked to the market place with memorial bed.
WHAT WAS NEW IN 2018/ 19 AND HOW IT HAS DEVELOPED IN
Sustaining what we have done would be a significant achievement but as ever Oakham in Bloom has undertaken the following major new projects this year:
Created a major new flowerbed at the Burley Road traffic island with a mixture of perennials. The colour scheme is warm sunny yellows, oranges
and reds for long lasting colour.
Created a large central mixed flowerbed at Barleythorpe Roundabout in a crimson and silver colour scheme.
Created a very large annual pollinator bed at the Landsend Roundabout
New large exotic mixed flower border at the peacock.
When writing the previous portfolio, who would have imagined the events of 2020 and the Covid pandemic. Thankfully we have lost none of our volunteers to Covid and so we count ourselves as very fortunate and immensely thankful. Such traumatic events do put life and priorities in perspective and make you value the simple things.
The repeated lock-downs we have endured have brought to a wider audience and an appreciation of the work we do and the value to people's well-being and mental health. For many Oakham residents their daily exercise allowance consisted of walking around the bypass and through town. Our colourful planting schemes that may have only been been glimpsed at out of car could now be more appreciated especially the ever changing flower schemes of bright annuals/perennials. The appreciation appears to have backed up the research that such 'changing' schemes are important for mental health.
People also noticed the great value our 'pollinator friendly' planting was having with our borders full of bees and hoverflies. It is very heartening that our hard work is so warmly appreciated by the public.
In 2019 OiB had embarked on a renovating and expanding of its plantings on the roundabouts it maintains. Despite the restrictions of Covid this work has continued and we hope you enjoy the dramatic changes from raw new planted beds to flower filled flowerbeds.
Nationally the Covid pandemic has exacerbated social isolation with many people unable to meet for months. As a charity open to all, we were able to
Despite the lock-downs and we have also maintained our existing flower schemes. Fortunately, the perennial planting has matured nicely although there was a lot of deadheading at the end of the first lock-down.