As the seasons change so do Cheltenham’s flowers. I was invited along to meet the members of Charlton Kings in Bloom who take care of one area of town.
One of the best things about living in Cheltenham is the strong horticultural theme that runs through the town. Trees line many of the streets, there are numerous parks and hanging baskets, planters and borders add a lot of colour.
As every gardener knows, being surrounded by plants makes you feel better and but these horticultural additions to urban life are also important habitats and food sources for wildlife.
In Charlton Kings, one of the parishes that makes up Cheltenham, work to add flowers to the street scene is carried out by a group of volunteers.
Charlton Kings in Bloom started many years ago and for some time ran a competition with prizes for the best gardens and businesses displays. It now takes care of 16 planters around the village, as well as being responsible for planting around the war memorial, some areas of meadow-style planting, and naturalised spring bulbs along roads.
“We’re just volunteers who want to make Charlton Kings village a nicer place to live and provide a bit of community spirit,” explained group member Andy Dawson, who says he’s not a keen gardener but just likes to help.
The displays are changed twice a year and, when I met them, the team were getting ready to take out faded summer flowers and replace them with bulbs and seasonal bedding.
With an efficiency borne of long experience, they were dividing polyanthus, violas, pansies and wallflowers between boxes, one for each planter, before heading out to make the transformation.
Some of the plants had been raised by retired nurseryman John Coates, a long-time member of Charlton Kings in Bloom. Others had been bought in with money from a parish council grant and fundraising events. These include the annual plant sale in May, an annual talk, and a garden trip; last year’s trip was to RHS Wisley.
What, I wondered, made them give up their time on a cold, grey November afternoon.
“It’s uplifting for people in winter,” said John, “and a surprise in spring when the bulbs come up.”
Charlton Kings in Bloom would welcome more volunteers. For more details, visit the website.
Enjoyed this? Why not sign up for email notifications of new posts.