The Barlow Flower Bed
see Planting list and planting plan
Early in 2013 the Society offered to redesign the bed at the front of The Barlow which had previously been looked after by Blackburn Council who adopted a 'municipal planting' style with annuals planted in rows around a small (and very weedy) lawn. The Society allocated a budget of £1,000 for the project and aimed to provide an informal style of planting, with herbaceous planting and shrubs. A prime consideration was that the planting should be low maintenance as the plants become established. The Committee of The Barlow accepted our offer and The Society then began to plan how to make the bed a thing of beauty. The bed itself presented a couple challenges:
The Barlow itself is built of a darkish red brick, so it was decided that the flowering elements of the planting would be primarily white, to lighten the look of the bed. Added colours are blues, ruby hues (to chime in with the Society's 40th Anniversary in 2013) and the odd splash of pink. The Aquilegia 'Nora Barlow' has been used too, specifically to link in with the Barlow family. Even the Hostas used have a white edge to their leaves. Nestling right up to the trunk of the Cherry are Cyclamen, Anemones and ferns which we hope will be happy in the conditions there. As the planting gets further away from the tree trunk, the soil is a little deeper and it has been possible to plant some more traditional herbaceous plants.
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After adding topsoil, the planting began. Perennials were supplemented by spring corms and bulbs, including anemones, cyclamen, narcissus (2 types, both white), snowdrops and crocus. The back of the bed, against the red brick walls of The Barlow, was planted with Crinodendron 'Ada Hoffman' and Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill', which are evergreen and have different flowering times. Needless to say, at the time of planting they looked very small but, over the years, they should give the bed a beautiful and fragrant background. After underplanting the shrubs with some of the bulbs listed above, a covering of composted bark finished the area off.
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Volunteers start to clear the bed
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People who did the hard work are: Sue BrohiPhil Broughton (path) Nicky Crayfourd Carole Frudd Sue Jeffries Susan Parsons David Mason Amanda Mason We also have to thank Nicky Crayfourd's horse, Kes, who provided the fertiliser!
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Planting complete - roll on Spring 2014 | |
Diary charting the
progress of The Barlow flower bed Planting
list
and planting plan |
We hope our members and the local community enjoy the
re-planted bed as it matures during 2014. If you are admiring the bed and not a member of the
Horticultural Society, why not come and join us. The current programme
of events can be found by following
this link. |