THE TOWN will not be entered into the Malvern in Bloom competition this year.
Instead, the Great Malvern Cemetery will be put forward all on its own for the It’s Your Neighbourhood contest – the first time it has ever been done.
Organisers of Malvern in Bloom have won seven gold medals in a row and even saw the town entered into the national finals Britain in Bloom for the first time last year.
However, they have decided to take a year of rest and recuperation leaving themselves a year to gear up for the 2016 competition and finish a number of projects in the town.
Malvern Town Council will, however, be entering the cemetery which is one of the star attractions in the competition. The contest is separate to the Heart of England in Bloom and allows any kind of entry.
It is particularly focused on community entries, be it a garden several residents have worked on or a horticultural project at a community centre.
The Malvern in Bloom Committee is also looking for It’s Your Neighbourhood entries in and around the town which they have encouraged people to apply for.
This year the town council is also running a Residents’ In Bloom Spring Photo Competition up until April 20. Those wanting to enter have been asked to send in photos of their best spring blossoms.
And the council will be running the ever-popular Residents’ Garden Competition in the summer too along with the Malvern Floral Festival which will run alongside the RHS Malvern Spring Festival from May 7.
Head gardener Laura Russell, who took over her role in March 2014, said last year was a brilliant first year because she was thrown in at the deep end and had no planting plans to work with.
She added it was great as she had no constraints and could completely go for it and come up with great unexpected and unplanned results.
Not only did she help to secure a gold medal for Malvern in Bloom but also a silver gilt in the Britain in Bloom.
Laura said: “We are obviously thrilled with the results because it was the first time we have competed on a national level – it was a great first year.
“I am extremely excited about this year because last year was such a rush to get everything done.
“The most important thing to me is to give value to people through beautiful gardens – it is really lovely to add value to people’s lives.”
Contact [email protected] or call 01684 566667 for more information.
Residents have also been asked to donate any unwanted plants to organisers for this year’s collection. Anyone wanting to do this can drop them off at the town council house on Bellevue Terrace.
