Rivers of Flowers

What is a River of Flowers?

The 'river' in River of Flowers is an evocative way of describing the planting of urban meadows in 'pollination streams' or 'green corridors' in order to help our pollinators, bees, butterflies and hoverflies, find forage in the city. It describes the flight path of the pollinators as much as it does the flow of wildflowers ... read more

Herne Bay in Bloom is planning to plant more areas under their Urban Meadow scheme next year and excitingly we will be able to sell our own seed mix to individuals by Spring 2012. Watch this space for more news and we can all start creating our own "rivers of flowers" throughout the area.

Urban Meadows along Thanet Way

Morning Coffee with the Residents of Cavendish Court

Some members of the Herne Bay in Bloom team spent a pleasant morning with some of the residents of Cavendish Court Herne Bay this week and  presented them with their Certificate for our 2011 Gardening Competion in which their Community garden was awarded second place.

This category was sponsored by building developers Denne Coplan Ltd and included a £20 Garden Voucher.  Carol, the warden, chose the resident to receive the award  on everyone's behalf, a sprightly 90 year old, as it was her son who had kindly planted and maintained the garden during the year and had taken his mother to the garden centre to chose and buy the plants.

Well done to everyone and thank you all for your kind hospitality.

HBIB ladies enjoying a cuppa and a chat with some residents

Presenting the Certificate Margaret Burns Chair HBIB, Carol, Warden

Kentish Apples

"Can you put a name to every apple growing in your garden? How about every apple in your neighbour's garden?"

What about some of the old Kent varieties such as Kentish Fillbasket known to around pre 1820's a late cooking apple, large with red stripes which cooks to a sweet light puree. Or Kentish Quarrenden a late dessert variety pre 1930's dark maroon in colour with sweet nutty, jucy, cream flesh.

The more modern variety named  Kent ( syn. Malling Kent)  was bred at East Malling Research Station in 1949 by Mr H.M.Tydeman  and introduced to the market in 1974. It is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin & Jonathan. It is a late keeping desert variety which mellows to become sweet and quite scented in the New Year somewhat like it's Cox parent but has a tougher dark red skin reminiscent of its Jonathan background.

Who remembers the Russet apples? Lovely with homemade chutney and crumbly cheese - yum! yum!