CCHS's Cheam Park Flowerbed Marks 125th Anniversary Celebration

As part of the celebrations for the 125th Anniversary of our society in 2018, we approached Sutton Parks Department to secure permission to plant a flowerbed in Cheam Park. Several possible beds were discussed and the major difficulty was that many beds have perennials that cannot be disturbed or moved. We finally decided on a bed that is situated to the left of the newly refurbished building that will be used as a nursery. It has a low wooden fence at the back and borders the path. The ‘Friends of Cheam Park’ also met to give us their stamp of approval.

Before embarking on the planting we had to create a plan of planting that would allow the bed to look attractive throughout the year. Richard Bailey and I put our heads together over several cups of coffee and finalised a planting plan and an order for bulbs and perennials. The hard work began with the digging over the flower bed. It had large clumps of geraniums and an enormous rosemary bush that had to be removed. Ten full black bin bags later it was all gone! We had the help of Rob Baldock and his wife which made the task easier. The border had a strip of turf that butted up to the path which looked scruffy and was full of weeds. We decided to replace the grass with new strips of turf. The next time the four of us met we laid the new turf and finished digging over the bed.

We needed extra help for the planting phase and asked our club members for help. An extra four people met us on a Saturday morning and Richard organised us quickly planting daffodil Actaea, snowdrops, cyclamen, crocus and hyacinths. Sutton gave us two large bags of `Tete a Tete’ and `Golden Harvest’ daffodils which were distributed in clumps of thirty. In the centre of the bed we marked out a large ‘125’ using Ophiopogon Planescens `Nigrescens’ (black grass) and ¬Carex Hachijoenis Evergold’ (variegated grass).

Another planting session was agreed and we planted mixed Ixia and lily of the valley around the ‘125’ and perennials, alliums, leucojum aestivum, astrantia, eringium, `Dryopteris Filix-mas’ ferns and geraniums. At a later date we will plant some bedding for instant colour. We are currently negotiating a plaque which will stand at the front of the bed to explain to the public the reason for the bed being planted.

We will post more photos and information as the bed develops. 

Margaret Fisher