Proud gardeners celebrate at Stratford in Bloom prize-giving

Those that have helped bring good cheer with fabulous blooms and inspirational gardens were rewarded at a Stratford in Bloom prize-giving ceremony last Thursday (19th September) at the town hall.

During the awards evening wine flowed and music played – courtesy of pianist Peter Summers – before deputy mayor Cllr Dani Hunter announced the winners.

This included overall best front garden and best wildlife-friendly winners John and June Hancox of East Green Drive who were “delighted” with their double win, and proudly posed in their garden for the Herald this week.

Chair of Stratford in Bloom, Cohl Warren-Howles, told the Herald: “We love this time of year when we get the opportunity to look at all the fabulous gardens in Stratford. This year has been especially difficult with so many interesting gardens. It is apparent that people are very conscious of helping the environment as many of the gardens had wonderful varieties of insect and wildlife friendly plants.”

She continued: “Space filled with flowering plants, perennial blooms from spring to autumn, shrubs providing pollen and nectar for insects, ranges of different flower shapes and in some of the smaller gardens, the best use of space.

“Thank you everyone for making Stratford such a bright, colourful and vibrant place!”

The winners were:

Best overall front garden and wildlife-friendly: John and June Hancox, East Green Drive

Best B&B: The Hathaways

Best community garden: Lifeways

Best town centre business: White Swan Hotel

Best nursery: Footsteps Nursery

Best primary: Joint first prize - Alveston Primary School, Bridgetown Primary School, Welcombe Hills School

Full list of places, including runners-up and focus on school entries, are as follows:

The school projects’ theme was to reuse and recycle and create a kaleidscope of colour. Projects included using a range of innovative containers including a pedal bin, handbags, a bookshelf converted into a large planter, 3 pairs of jeans planted with french marigolds, sedum & euonymus. A wall mounted pallet of milk bottles planted with a range of flowers and the list goes on. The school projects were judged by Judith Conroy Researcher in Sustainable Horticulture at Coventry University and Sue England, both Stratford in Bloom Committee members.

Broad Street Cygnets - A very colourful area decorated with a range of containers including handbags wellies and an icecream churn.

Alveston Primary - At the door a welcome collection of containers with bee-friendly plants. Each class had a raised bed planted with fruit, flowers and veg.

Welcombe Hills - A magnificent display of poppies in pinks and dark crimsons, next to tall heads of corn and artichokes, jostled with potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans and sunflowers. A Forest school with snakes, hedgehogs and handmade worms (made out of old socks).

Footsteps Nursery - A large planter had been converted from a bookshelf and an old tyre was filled with herbs. A small log pile in the corner and a veg area with tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers.

St Andrews Primary - A flowerpot person welcome with nasturtiums and pinks. A wall mounted pallet of milk bottles planted with a range of flowers

Freshfield Nursery - 3 jeans clad botanical 'bottoms' A range of planting vessels including bottles and tyres. A herb area hanging in bottles.

Stratford Primary school - A pergola filled with bottle top wind chimes and a range of reused containers including a teapot and a hat! Each planter had a collection of fish made by the children from plastic bottles.

Bridgetown primary - Woven around the theme of Wizard of Oz a skilful use of the characters all made from recycled/upcycled materials. A sink herb garden and brightly painted yellow pebble (the yellow brick road).

Best front gardens by ward -

Avenue - 24 Orrian Close

Albany - 22 Albany Road

Bishopton - 5 Trevelyan Crescent

Brookside - 52 Meadow Close

Clopton - 32 Hodgson Road

Darlow - 52 Emerson Drive

Guildhall & Bridetown - 12b Scholars Lane

Hathaway - 5 The Ridgeway

Orchard Hill - 24 Chesterton Drive

Shottery - Lark Rise, 46 Hathaway Lane

Tiddington - 4 The Sett (off Loxley Road)

Welcombe - 28 Swift Road

Wildlife Friendly

Winner - 30 East Green Drive

Runners up & Highly commended -

1 Hamilton Drive

59 Aintree Road

18 Hathaway Lane

Overall winner of best front garden -

30 East Green Drive

Best B&B -

The Hathaways

Best Community garden -

Lifeways

Highly commended - Guild Cottages

Best Town Centre Business -

The White Swan Hotel

Nurseries & Schools

1st prize - Footsteps Nursery

Runner up - Freshfield

Commended - Broad Street Cygnets

Joint 1st prize -

Alveston Primary School

Bridgetown Primary School

Welcombe Hills School

Runner up -

St Andrews Primary

Commended -

Stratford Primary School

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