It was Pudsey Carnival today and we had a plant sale and put up a display of photographs and press clippings. Despite the usual terrible carnival weather, members of the group manned the stall all day and we raised over £30.
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Meeting
We have received the notes from the Spring judging (see post below) so we have been thinking of ways to improve for Summer.
We also discussed ideas for our stall at Pudsey Carnival on the 17th May, organising a miniature garden competition for children and paying £1,000 for some extra hanging baskets on the Town Hall this year.
The group are split on how to best spend our money. Some want to do as much as possible with the money to improve the town for the whole community and also get as many marks as we can when the judges next visit. Ideas suggested include more permanent planting, wildlife areas, projects with children and tackling the negative points the judges mentioned in their feedback.
The other part of the group want to spend the money the easiest way possible by paying the council to put up temporary hanging baskets and water them for us until they are taken down in autumn.
We are also trying to decide how to plant up our barrier troughs for summer still.
Option one is to plant them with annuals and pay £40 per container to have them watered for the year.
Option 2 is to plant them with various drought tolerant plants that will require no watering. The money saved (£880) could be spent on permanent planting such as more colourful perennials and wildlife areas and projects in schools.
Option 3 is a bit of both!
We have also received a grant of £3,000 from West Leeds Area management so hopefully we will be able to do some exciting projects in the future.
We also discussed ideas for our stall at Pudsey Carnival on the 17th May, organising a miniature garden competition for children and paying £1,000 for some extra hanging baskets on the Town Hall this year.
The group are split on how to best spend our money. Some want to do as much as possible with the money to improve the town for the whole community and also get as many marks as we can when the judges next visit. Ideas suggested include more permanent planting, wildlife areas, projects with children and tackling the negative points the judges mentioned in their feedback.
The other part of the group want to spend the money the easiest way possible by paying the council to put up temporary hanging baskets and water them for us until they are taken down in autumn.
We are also trying to decide how to plant up our barrier troughs for summer still.
Option one is to plant them with annuals and pay £40 per container to have them watered for the year.
Option 2 is to plant them with various drought tolerant plants that will require no watering. The money saved (£880) could be spent on permanent planting such as more colourful perennials and wildlife areas and projects in schools.
Option 3 is a bit of both!
We have also received a grant of £3,000 from West Leeds Area management so hopefully we will be able to do some exciting projects in the future.
Judges comments
PUDSEY
The entry is managed by a relatively new group of people who are picking up from work carried out by previous groups. With time and co-operation/liaison with the business sector and local authority, the project will develop to further enhance Pudsey.
SECTION A – FLORAL DISPLAYS
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. Pudsey Park with its Tropical House and Showhouse.
2. The spring barrier baskets supplied by the Local Authority.
3. The gardens at Robin Chase.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Development of small pocket parks, shrub planting etc. by the group.
4. Further involvement from youth organisations
4. Organisation of competitions, etc.
SECTION B – PERMANENT LANDSCAPING, INCLUDING SHRUBS
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. School gardening club with the quad area and reception garden.
3. The planting and maintenance of the gardens on Robin Chase.
4. The excellent allotment site at Crimbles Place.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Quite a number of old ‘tired’ shrub beds could possibly be replanted.
3. Ensure general grass cutting is carried out prior to judging.
4. Possible development of future wild flower area.
SECTION C – LOCAL AGENDA 21 AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. The recycling of old greenhouses on the allotment site.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Possible development of pond area at Spinners Chase.
2. Mulching of shrub bed.
SECTION D – LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. The cleanliness and lack of litter in and around Pudsey Park.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Possible development of community litter picks etc.
SECTION E – PUBLIC AWARENESS
1. The posters displayed by houses on Robin/Spinners Chase
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Further Press releases regarding the groups work.
2. Future commercial sponsorship of areas etc.
The entry is managed by a relatively new group of people who are picking up from work carried out by previous groups. With time and co-operation/liaison with the business sector and local authority, the project will develop to further enhance Pudsey.
SECTION A – FLORAL DISPLAYS
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. Pudsey Park with its Tropical House and Showhouse.
2. The spring barrier baskets supplied by the Local Authority.
3. The gardens at Robin Chase.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Development of small pocket parks, shrub planting etc. by the group.
4. Further involvement from youth organisations
4. Organisation of competitions, etc.
SECTION B – PERMANENT LANDSCAPING, INCLUDING SHRUBS
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. School gardening club with the quad area and reception garden.
3. The planting and maintenance of the gardens on Robin Chase.
4. The excellent allotment site at Crimbles Place.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Quite a number of old ‘tired’ shrub beds could possibly be replanted.
3. Ensure general grass cutting is carried out prior to judging.
4. Possible development of future wild flower area.
SECTION C – LOCAL AGENDA 21 AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. The recycling of old greenhouses on the allotment site.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Possible development of pond area at Spinners Chase.
2. Mulching of shrub bed.
SECTION D – LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Judges were particularly impressed by:
1. The cleanliness and lack of litter in and around Pudsey Park.
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Possible development of community litter picks etc.
SECTION E – PUBLIC AWARENESS
1. The posters displayed by houses on Robin/Spinners Chase
Areas suggested for future development:
1. Further Press releases regarding the groups work.
2. Future commercial sponsorship of areas etc.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Judging
Today the Yorkshire In Bloom judges came to see Pudsey. We think it went okay; all the areas we showed them were looking good, there were Pudsey In Bloom posters up everywhere and it was even a nice sunny day.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Weeding
Today and over the weekend we did some weeding and litter picking. We hadn't finished weeding the beds on Lowtown when we planted them so we did that today; there were only a few bits of grass so it did not take long.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Posters
Members of the group delivered the posters made by the Lowtown Primary School pupils to shops and houses around Pudsey today. They are now up absolutely everywhere: Pudsey centre, all down Lowtown, Robin Chase, Spinners Chase and all the sites we will be showing the judges.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Lowtown
We finished planting the seating area on Lowtown today; it is now full of perennials in shades or pink, purple, orange and yellow.
We planted rudbeckia 'Goldsturm', geum 'Lady Stratheden', penstemon 'Rondo', penstemon 'Husker Red', achillea 'Cerise Queen', knautia 'Melton Pastels', potentilla 'Miss Willmott' and kniphofia hybrids. These, along with the grasses and heucheras we planted earlier, should be colourful, low maintainance and attractive to both people and wildlife. We just have to wait for them to flower now.
There are already some daffodils, which are in full bloom at the moment. The bed on the left (below) has them all in a big clump so when they have finished flowering we will lift and separate these. We are also planning to add more bulbs in autumn.
Again lots of people stopped to talk to us. We gave all our plant pots and trays away to a local gardener too.
We planted rudbeckia 'Goldsturm', geum 'Lady Stratheden', penstemon 'Rondo', penstemon 'Husker Red', achillea 'Cerise Queen', knautia 'Melton Pastels', potentilla 'Miss Willmott' and kniphofia hybrids. These, along with the grasses and heucheras we planted earlier, should be colourful, low maintainance and attractive to both people and wildlife. We just have to wait for them to flower now.
There are already some daffodils, which are in full bloom at the moment. The bed on the left (below) has them all in a big clump so when they have finished flowering we will lift and separate these. We are also planning to add more bulbs in autumn.
Again lots of people stopped to talk to us. We gave all our plant pots and trays away to a local gardener too.Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Plants!
Today we bought the rest of the plants for the seating area on Lowtown so we should be able to plant them tomorrow. We bought 101 perennials to add to the grassses and heucheras.
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Planting
We planted loads more plants today! First the hemerocallis in the beds in front of the leisure centre.
We planted several different orange and yellow varieties such as 'Corky', 'Mauna Loa', 'Bitsy', 'Eenie Meenie' and 'Bonanza'
They are small at the moment but should get lots of flowers in summer. Both beds look great already even though it is still March.
Next we planted the beds around the car park. Previously they'd had more weedy wallflowers, although this one had had some primulas added too so at least there were some flowers.
We left in some of the bedding in the gaps until the plants grow. We planted a stipa gigantea, a libertia peregrinans, 3 libertia ixioides 'Gold Finger', some eryngium agavifolium and some pink hemerocallis.
This was the other bed before. More wallflowers but a giant phormium too.
In this one we planted 2 libertia peregrinans 'Gold Leaf' 3 eryngium agavifolium and 2 hemerocallis 'Corky'
We planted several different orange and yellow varieties such as 'Corky', 'Mauna Loa', 'Bitsy', 'Eenie Meenie' and 'Bonanza'
They are small at the moment but should get lots of flowers in summer. Both beds look great already even though it is still March.
Next we planted the beds around the car park. Previously they'd had more weedy wallflowers, although this one had had some primulas added too so at least there were some flowers.
We left in some of the bedding in the gaps until the plants grow. We planted a stipa gigantea, a libertia peregrinans, 3 libertia ixioides 'Gold Finger', some eryngium agavifolium and some pink hemerocallis.
This was the other bed before. More wallflowers but a giant phormium too.
In this one we planted 2 libertia peregrinans 'Gold Leaf' 3 eryngium agavifolium and 2 hemerocallis 'Corky'
All the new plants have interesting flowers or foliage and we have gone for strong colour combinations so these beds should look really striking. We have picked plants suited to the conditions so they should all grow well.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Planting
We started the seating area on Lowtown today. We don't have all the plants yet but we planted the grasses and heucheras. We used 6 stipa gigantea, 6 ampelodesmos mauritanica, 7 stipa arundinacea, 6 heuchera 'Green Spice' and 4 heuchera 'Frosted Violet'. Just 100 flowering perennials left to do now!
Next we started planting the beds in front of the leisure centre. Previously they had puny little wallflowers and weeds in them.
We have replaced them with shade-loving perennials and ferns that will be much happier here. They look better already!
This was the bed at the other side; it was possibly even worse!
We got nearly all the plants in today. We planted polystichum munitum, polypodium vulgare, geum 'Cooky', dianella 'Tas Red', heuchera 'Melting Fire' and heuchera 'Frosted Violet'.
Lots of people stopped to talk to us while we were planting and we got lots of positive comments. The heucheras were much admired and several people mentioned that they were glad to see perennials being used instead of the same old annuals everywhere.
The beds look pretty good already but we still have some hemerocallis to add.
Next we started planting the beds in front of the leisure centre. Previously they had puny little wallflowers and weeds in them.
We have replaced them with shade-loving perennials and ferns that will be much happier here. They look better already!
This was the bed at the other side; it was possibly even worse! 
We got nearly all the plants in today. We planted polystichum munitum, polypodium vulgare, geum 'Cooky', dianella 'Tas Red', heuchera 'Melting Fire' and heuchera 'Frosted Violet'.
Lots of people stopped to talk to us while we were planting and we got lots of positive comments. The heucheras were much admired and several people mentioned that they were glad to see perennials being used instead of the same old annuals everywhere.
The beds look pretty good already but we still have some hemerocallis to add.
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