Winter to Summer Changeover

It’s a two day marathon emptying the winter planters around the town, collecting the summer annuals, baskets and summer planters from Preston Bissett Nursery, and popping in the plants following the design carefully worked out by Mary Sarre and Pat Kyd. This year’s colour scheme is scarlet, pale blue, white, pink and yellow.

Mary and Pat coordinate the Stony in Bloom side of the operation, while Ray liaises with David Odell and the Business Association, (which organise the hanging basket scheme). One of the most difficult jobs is attaching the bus-shelter planters to the roof of the bus-shelter. This year the church volunteers chose the same day as that of the joint SSIB and SSBA changeover operation to take out their beautifully scented wallflowers ready for their summer annuals, so Stony Stratford was a hive of ant-like activity on May 25th and 26th!

When SSIB volunteers remove the winter plants they take them to the community bed at York house where they rest until next autumn. They can then be replanted next year. It’s satisfying to know that no plants are wasted! Those that can’t be used next year are given away from a table in the High St, and the unusable ones are composted at York House.

Changeover days are always very strenuous, but it’s always worth it to see the town transformed – and Stony Stratford residents are always very appreciative of our efforts, many coming over to thank us while we’re at work on the planters.