We have been working with sponsors Bridge Farm Plants of Monks Eleigh to revive one of the beds on the McDonalds roundabout on Northern Road/Waldingfield Road.

Babergh District Council contractors cut back the ivy which had spread across most of the space, with Flowers Groundcare kindly rotavating the roots free of charge.

Sudbury in Bloom volunteers and Bridge Farm Plants staff carried out more clearing. The bed was then manured with alpaca manure (a first for us, so we will be interested to see how much difference it makes!) and finally we got to the planting.

We supplied lots of Salvias grown by us, along with own-grown ornamental grasses and Agapanthus. The rest of the plants were donated free of charge by Bridge Farm Plants to provide low-maintenance year-round colour and interest. Plants include Cornus dogwood, Euphorbias, Erysimum shrubby wallflowers, Pittosporums and Phormiums, alongside spring bulbs which should pop up year after year.

We expect it will be a year or two for the planting to really fill out but we think it is looking much better than before!

We have had a number of socially distanced work sessions at Sudbury Resource Centre over winter and spring.

The courtyard area has had quite an overhaul. The sloped bank has been cleared and new planting added, including a couple of small trees.

The back fence has had a lick of paint, and edging added and painted to help define the area. Our volunteers have also repaired some of the garden furniture, and given existing planting a tidy-up.

Previous planting at the front of the building has been providing splashes of colour throughout the spring, and we hope it has lifted the spirits of all using the hub!

It wasn’t the year any of us was expecting, but a small team of Sudbury in Bloom volunteers, alongside our partners, were able to keep Sudbury blooming throughout the year, as the photos below show.

Sudbury in Bloom members have been determined to brighten up Sudbury town centre this year, despite Covid-19 restrictions.

Volunteers lone-worked throughout lockdown maintaining and planting up gardens all over town.
After the lockdown plantsman Mark Mason organised and led small teams of volunteers to tackle the larger projects that needed extra hands, as featured on our Facebook page.

The Pride of Sudbury competition also went ahead in a reduced form, to celebrate the floral skills of our residents.

Residents were asked to upload photographs of their floral displays and containers onto our website over a period of four months, closing at the end of August.

This year judging was completed internally with winners being notified by phone and receiving their certificate and prizes by post unlike previous years when judges visited gardens and a presentation evening was held at the Town Hall.

Please provide your own drumroll for this year’s winners:
Best Front Garden – Fred Godding (pictured)
Best Back Garden – Rebecca Preswick
Best Container, Basket or Pot – Lyn Richer
Best Eco Garden – Jill Fisher
Best Home Veggie Plot – Colin Ridley

Congratulations to all our winners, and well done to everyone who took part.

Next year we will be expanding our Pride of Sudbury Residents’ Competition to include all districts of Sudbury.

We also hope 2021 will see the return of the Anglia in Bloom competition, and that restrictions will lift enough to allow us to organise fundraising plant sales.

Other plans on the horizon for Sudbury in Bloom are to replace a number of tower planters around the Belle Vue roundabout.

If you would like to get involved with Sudbury in Bloom either through volunteering or sponsorship please get in touch on 07957 817165 or fill in a form.

Just a tad wet for the planting up of the new social distancing planters on Market Hill!

Despite getting absolutely sodden in the lengthy thunderstorm our band of volunteers – which included Sudbury Town Council’s community wardens, staff from sponsors Bridge Farm Plants in Monks Eleigh, and our partners Greener Sudbury – kept their spirits high and did a great job.

We have had lots of positive comments already – we hope the sun comes back for everyone to enjoy some al fresco dining amongst the new flowers!

Big thanks go to sponsors Sudbury Perrywood who very generously donated many of the plants (the rest were grown by Sudbury in Bloom’s resident horticulturalist Mark Mason and his helpers) and all the compost; to Sudbury Town Council and the community wardens for everything they did to make the new look happen; to Babergh District Council for securing funds from the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, which is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Among the plants are Sedums, Salvias, Pelargoniums, Heucheras, Fuchsias, Crocosmia, Coprosmas and ornamental grasses including Miscanthus.

Sudbury in Bloom is teaming up with Sudbury Town Council to give Market Hill a makeover!

The social-distancing barriers that have been in place this summer are to be replaced with 30 large planters – and we are calling for volunteers to help us plant them up.

Perrywood Garden Centre in Newton Road is donating pallets of compost along with a number of plants, and the rest of the plants will be supplied by us.

We will be looking to carry out the planting next Tuesday – check back here for more details or visit our Facebook page.

Don’t worry if you don’t have lots of gardening knowledge as we will be able to give you guidance!


*UPDATE: We are now hoping to carry out planting on Friday 14th*

The store is packed with useful items including garden tractors, lawn mowers (including ride-ons), chain saws, shredders, strimmers, hedge cutters, garden tools, power tools, hardware, outdoor clothing and footwear.

Their sponsorship enables Sudbury in Bloom to carry out our work around town, and we are hugely grateful to Ernest Doe for their support.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities contact vice-chairman Andy Howes on 07957 817165 or email sudburyinbloom@gmail.com.

www.ernestdoe.com/branch/sudbury

Although Covid-19 restrictions have meant we have not been able to run our monthly working parties as usual, individual volunteers have been hard at work keeping Sudbury blooming.