Blooming wonderful

Residents of Glovers Court have taken control of overgrown planting areas and turned them into attractive growing areas that not only produce flowers and garden produce, but also attract wildlife for the residents to enjoy watching.

Led by Anna Haggerty and Sheena MacBraine, residents, including Ann Willeman, Joe Grub, and Ella Beam, have stripped out the weeds, dug the flower beds, and planted numerous bulbs and plants that can be enjoyed by all the residents.

Once Anna and Sheena decided to start gardening in March, everyone else has joined in and given money for plants or bought plants themselves. As well as the flowers, the residents have grown vegetables and herbs, and, last night, many residents enjoyed their first home-grown potatoes. Coming soon are carrots, courgettes, rocket, runner beans, aubergines, cucumbers, and parsley.

To make the garden more homely, the residents have had donated for their use garden parasols, benches, a bird table and feeders, candles and garden lights, and a metal dog and metal geese.

The residents feel that working together on the garden has brought them together as a community. They are waiting for 10 bags of topsoil promised by Westlea. The garden has proved so successful that they have entered in “Malmesbury in Bloom” and they have opened it to visitors to raise money for Malmesbury Carnival.

And they already have plans for next year to plant two espalier apple trees along a south-facing fence and to develop a third area in the grounds.