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The
local population is poised to welcome the national
Britain in Bloom judges Carolyn Wilson MBE and Jon
Wheatley on Friday 3 August from 9.30 am onwards when
the town will be judged in the Large Town/Small City
class.
In common with most places in Britain and the rest of
the world Horsham has been learning to come to terms
with the facts of climate change. Last year was one of
the worst droughts ever experienced in the south east,
with reservoirs at an all time low and underground
aquifers severely depleted. Here in Horsham we adopted
the 'Every Drop Counts' campaign, bravely abandoning
water thirsty hanging baskets and annual planting in
favour of drought tolerant planting. The Horsham in
Bloom team spread important messages encouraging water
harvesting whilst stimulating interest in using other
types of planting to achieve stunning displays. The S
& S E in Bloom judges recognised Horsham's efforts by
awarding a regional GOLD standard and declaring the
town Champion of Champions.
Attention to sustainable planting has been carried
through into this year's programmes. Lessons learnt
from last season have made it possible to bring back
some of the flower power. As most gardeners know the
weather can be very fickle and this year we find
ourselves deluged with rain something that has helped
to revive the dwindling water reserves that had been
so worrying. However, in the same way that 'one
swallow does not make a summer' Horsham knows that
water supplies can just as easily come under threat in
years to come. The town accepts that climate change
means that there is a need for flexible attitudes and
a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances. In
Horsham we are keen to look at what happens all
through the year and not just during the summer
months. Attention to our 'in Bloom' aspirations
happens day to day, month to month right through the
year.
The local population is embracing new ideas and
experimenting with different planting regimes. Local
gardeners are treating the challenge as a bit of an
adventure, a time to experiment with areas of growing
that they had previously not considered. There is a
real 'kick' to be had from moving towards using
alpines, bulbs, herbaceous perennials, exotic
varieties, succulents and speciality species.
Horsham is horticulturally switched-on, ready to meet
the challenges. The aims and objectives of Britain in
Bloom extend far beyond stunning displays of flowers.
The whole essence of the competition is to motivate
communities into taking better care of their local
environment. Here in Horsham there is an inter-active
network of initiatives that has been developed through
an independent committee known as Horsham in Bloom.
Over the last 12 years the committee has been bringing
people, businesses and organisations together to find
ways of making the town's living and working
conditions more green, clean, attractive and vibrant.
Like most places Horsham has its advantages and
disadvantages these have to be identified ready to be
used to bring benefits to the population. Helped by
the leadership of Horsham in Bloom opportunities have
been seized and the town has been transformed using
floral displays and clever landscaping. In addition to
this being able to spread responsible environmental
messages has led to practical projects and a greater
knowledge of what is required to protect Horsham's
natural and built environment for the future.
This year the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in
Bloom campaign is promoting "Bloomin' Wild" a theme
that focuses on protecting wildlife in our gardens and
open spaces. Caring about wildlife has been part of
Horsham's campaign for a long time but this year we
have stepped up the emphasis by bringing the theme
into our local competitions and by using meadow
planting as a means of providing colour and natural
habitats across the town. Around the town a
kaleidoscope of bloom consisting of swathes of
different kinds of eye-catching meadow planting has
prompted compliments from lots of residents and
visitors!
Wild about flowers, serious about the future of the
environment the people of Horsham are looking forward
to offering the national judges some genuinely warm
hospitality in the homely surroundings of our very
distinctive Sussex market town.
Horsham In Bloom8
Update
Horsham was declared overall winner of the
South and South East regional in Bloom competition on
Wednesday 5 September.
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