Residents of Shrewsbury were able to gain a first-hand view of the flowers that will make up the floral features around the town this summer when they attended the Shrewsbury in Bloom Open Evening last night [Wed].
The annual event, held at the Town Council’s greenhouse at Weeping Cross, welcomed over 150 gardening enthusiasts who were keen to see the expanse of plants, hanging baskets and containers before they are planted out next month.
Helen Ball, town clerk, said: “With Shrewsbury participating in both the Heart of England in Bloom and Britain in Bloom competitions this summer, we are delighted to be able to open up our facility to the residents of Shrewsbury. Our visitors were thrilled to see over 300,000 blooms cultivated in the Town Council greenhouse for the town’s award-winning floral displays. It is certainly a sight worth seeing.”
“Our staff work tremendously hard to maintain our reputation as ‘the town of flowers’ and we are delighted to be able to show our residents just how much work goes on to make our town so colourful and vibrant.”
Guests were given a guided tour of the flower-packed greenhouse by Town Council staff and Bloom Committee members and were able to view demonstrations of how the hanging baskets are planted which will start to feature around the town next month.
Keith Roberts, Chairman of Shrewsbury in Bloom, added: “With the success of Shrewsbury in the recent BBC2 “Britain in Bloom” programme, it is wonderful that so many people are interested in seeing how things are managed behind the scenes. The vast number of bedding plants destined for Shrewsbury’s fantastic floral features never fails to amaze our visitors when the plants are lined up in rows in the greenhouse.”
Shrewsbury in Bloom is a non-profit committee which brings together interested groups and individuals to implement a programme for Shrewsbury’s floral enhancement, environmental improvements and community projects. It is the driving force behind Shrewsbury’s annual entry into the Heart of England in Bloom competition.