Taunton In Bloom start planting now

The results of Taunton in Bloom are in and we already know the town itself received a Gold in South West in Bloom.The awards were made at Monkton Elm Garden Centre,results listed below.

So if you have been inspired by all the lovely colour you have seen around Taunton this year,or at Taunton Flower Show, now is the time to get started because its bulb planting season.

It doesn't have to be and expensive project and the beauty of bulbs are they can go in some of the places where is it hard to have a bed for other things, like a bank or slope. Also they will happily grow in pots so even if you only have a patio garden or a piece of path, you can still grow bulbs.

Don't forget your onions and garlic,plant them now and you can use the shoots in the spring as well as harvesting the bulbs later on,you can get onion sets of 50 for around £1.50 .

Most of us are familiar with daffodils, tulips and crocus which are available everywhere from supermarkets to DIY stores like Homebase but if you want a larger variety you will probably want to go to a garden centre or nursery like Monkton Elm which has a huge range from 2kg of daffodils for £5.99 to Indian Lilies at two for £1.99.

There are flower bulbs for every taste in colour, height and degrees of light. A carpet of cyclamen is a wonderful sight and the perfume is fantastic too. There are gift packages available in many places, such as sets ready to plant in decorative pails for outdoors or pots for indoors, I remember one of my first experiences of gardening was growing a hyacinth as a school project and having to put it in the airing cupboard for the winter, you can often by them in a pot ready to go. 

Taunton Garden Centre are selling flower bulbs singly from 20p -60p depending on the type.

Avery Nursery and Plant Centre are suggesting the planting of onions from now until the end of October and garlic October/November.

Taunton in Bloom results 2010

Best School Grounds,sponsored by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and Best School Foyer,sponsored by Councillor Richard Lees

1st St George's RC Primary School

2nd St Andrew's Primary School

Best Containers sponsored by Screwfix Direct

1st Mrs S.Stocker, 59 Galmington Road

2nd Mrs D.Knight, 33 Wellsprings Road

Best Front Garden sponsored by Orchard

1st Mr G.Stark, 33 Richmond Park Bishops Hull

2nd Mrs Lock,2 Shutemead Bishops Hull

3rd Mrs Hawker,1 Shutemead Bishops Hull

Best Care establishment sponsored by Shaun Gregan

1st Elizabeth House,Wilton Orchard

2nd Moorhaven Care Home,Normandy Drive

Best Sheltered Housing sponsored by Warm Welcome

1st St.James' Court,St James'Street

2nd Robins Close, Bishops Hull

Best Voluntary Organisation sponsored by Adrian Prior-Sankey

1st Bishops Lydeard Railway Station

2nd Tangier Scout & Guide Centre

Best Hotel/Guesthouse sponsored by Ted Softley

1st Meryan House Hotel, Bishops Hull

2nd Mount Somerset Hotel,Henlade

3rd Acorn Lodge,Wellington Road

Best coffee Shop/restaurant sponsored by Phil Bowditch

1st Expresso,High Street

2nd Cafe Lisa 13a Paul Street

Best Professional Business sponsored by Taunton Chamber of Commerce

1st Priory Close Vets

2nd Orthoworld,The Crescent

3rd Norman Hodge Hairdressers

Best Public Access Site Clarke Willmott & Clarke

Joint 1st Bishops Lydeard Railway Station and Taunton Police Station

Best Public House sponsored by Somerset County Gazette

1st The Vivary Arms

2nd The Ring of Bells,Norton Fitzwarren

3rd The Half Moon, Stoke St Mary

Best Large Shopping Area sponsored by Summerfield Homes

1st Riverside Place

2nd Bath Place

Best Street Display sponsored by Monkton Elm Garden Centre

1st Avenue 1,Beauford Park,Norton Fitzwarren

2nd Avenue2

Best Horticultural Display sponsored by Deane DLO

1st residents of Beauford Park ,Norton Fitzwarren

Best Railway Station Display sponsored by Summerfield Homes

1st & 2nd  West Somerset Railway

It's Your Neighbourhood Awrad sponsored by the RHS

Victoria Park Action Group,St Georges School and Kingston Road Allotments.

Allotments

1st Rowbarton 187 points

2nd Priorswood 184 points

3rd Hamilton 181 points

Rachael Haldane Cup

1st Peter Luxton 193 points

2nd Joe Davis 182 points

3rd Guy Baddely 179 points