I didn't know very much about Prospect Place Conservation Area Trust, apart from the fact it encompassed the area around Prospect Place in Old Town, but was honoured to be asked to judge their first front garden competition last Saturday. I met the Chair of the Trust, Michael Gray who gave an architectural tour of the area while we were looking at gardens, and was assisted by Kate Brailsford, Secretary and Suzanne Martin, in charge of Membership. I took photos of the buildings, but I think I'll keep this post to the garden judging, otherwise there will be too many photographs. We were looking at the difference greenery and gardens make to the appearance and feel of an area. I am completely in agreement with the idea that greenery makes a huge difference, and I think this competition is a way of highlighting this.
We walked along Union Street where the building style dictated there were no front gardens, and then along part of North St where again there weren't any front gardens, and then back tracked to Prospect Place where the houses opposite the side of the Castle do have gardens.
The first garden has an abundance of flowering shrubs, and wonderful wildness
The next one is a beautifully laid out potager style herb garden
This one has a pleasing pattern in the garden
And there are some wonderful doorways
This garden was a bit of a departure from the cottage garden style of the other gardens, but was clearly loved and an effort had been made. *
Another lovely door
We went into the Castle garden and admired their displays, this attracted my attention.
A contemplative garden, well laid out
A delightfully tasteful garden further down which ticked all the boxes as far as I was concerned, but not installed by the current owners.
A garden in progress, looking good and one to watch
On the next section of Prospect Place
This rose was beautifully arranged and made a difference to the front of the house
This couldn't be planted, a Campanula growing at the side of a front driveway, but looks fantastic, as do the geraniums along the front of the house
There are lovely planters outside the church on Prospect Place
Further down on the right, there are two window boxes
which make quite an impact, the one below we felt had the edge *
What a positive addition this greenery makes
And this hanging basket
And this laurel bush adds a lot to the street
We looked into the Willows garden where this globular flowered buddleaia made an impression
Kind William Street didn't have greenery, although there was some at the school, we turned right into Eastcott Road and saw two planters with begonias in them
And then stopped to chat outside this house admiring the way this hanging basket and planter made an appealing combination. *
We then walked down South Street admiring the frontages of the houses there.
There are some lovely hostas just visible in this lovely front garden
and the frontage here works beautifully, trained rose in flower and a flowering Lychnis
Well as you can see it was an almost impossible task, and if anything what came out of it was the importance of adding plants to the front of the house whether in a garden, hanging basket or window boxes. It's not the winning, but the joining in that counts, and in the end we decided to have three categories, which didn't really make the decision making any easier. These were front gardens where they exist, hanging basket and window boxes. I have put stars * beside the three winners, and look forward to more fierce competition next year. Well done to all who took up the greening challenge.
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