2 Jan 2007 - STEVENAGE IN BLOOM 2006
Gardening is an activity we hold here at the Haven. It's a fair-weather activity so it's only done between April and October. We do get the occasional resident who wants to participate, but not too many!
We kept the front grass cut and did some hanging baskets and tubs at the front. This year we had a resident keen on gardening so we cut four cheeses in the front garden and in the back garden we also dug over the side beds and put a flower bed in.
Brian, the Counsellor, asked me if we would like some plants for the beds - obviously we said yes! Next thing - loads of plants. We planted hanging baskets, tubs, front beds and part of the back beds, that's how many we had. However the catch was that we entered the Stevenage in Bloom 2006 competition. Judging took place in July, and we were a bit concerned because we had several palletts of slabs and bags of sand and cement put on the front lawns. What with the hot summer, when judgiung came we had some large bare patches to contend with.
When we moved from Frobisher Drive to here we bought the pool table with us but we had nowhere to put it. So we recycled the slate base by cutting it into monoliths and making a feature out of them in one of the front beds.
We attended the finale of Stevenage in Bloom http://www.stevenage.gov.uk/environment/inbloom/news/2006abloominsuccess and collected a nice certifiicate to show we took part. All the main prizes went to the large old people's homes, but we took part and the aim of the competition is to encourage everyone in Stevenage to plant plants and brighten the place up.
Just while we are on about the competition there was a prize for the best wild life garden. The lady in question who won had a camera in a nesting box and recorded the birds laying eggs, feeding their young etc. I cannot think of all the prizes but the garden that picked up the most unusual prize was a fellow who had a model rail track round his front garden. It runs around the flower beds, has a tunnel and buildings etc. As someone who likes to watch trains, I thought it was great!
What's on for 2007? The tubs have been planted with bulbs and wallflowers, the front beds will be cleared and more wallflowers put in for the Spring, the hanging baskets have winter flowering pansies in. At the back we have planted some bulbs around our patio area. The judges asked we enter the back garden as well for 2007. We would like to move the rockery near the building, put in some flowering shrubs, maybe some rhubarb, and some soft fruit shrubs.
A very big thank you for Brian, one of our counsellors - and Christine, who are both involved with Churches Together in Stevenage http://www.stevenagechurches.org.uk . They have asked us if we have a wish list for 2007 - so we will prepare one for them!
Gregory Metcalf, Senior Project Worker.
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