It does feel as though we’ve had a particularly wet and cold start to Spring but as I write this the weather is getting warmer and we’ve had a few sunnier days – a great incentive to get gardening!

In my own garden and all around Fairfield there are lots of lovely spring flowers and the trees are in blossom. The community bulb planting that we did in the Autumn half term has really paid dividends – the bank on the edge of the west orchard is looking fantastic and the Community Garden is full of colour. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the planting.

The daffodil bulbs that the 1st Fairfield Scouts planted in the Community Hall borders are really looking cheerful and have now been added to with our new planting scheme which includes roses, wisteria, hydrangea, phlox and nepeta; all of which will be attractive to pollinating insects. Thanks to the scouts for their bulb planting, to the volunteers who helped with the border planting and to Fairfield Parish Council for supporting this project.

I attended the Anglia in Bloom 2023 launch meeting at the end of March with two fellow Its Your Neighbourhood team members to represent Fairfield. The meeting, held at Shuttleworth, was well attended by groups from across the Anglia region and provided an opportunity to speak to other enthusiastic community gardening teams and to learn about the RHS Its Your Neighbourhood, In Bloom and Schools programmes. We will be putting all that we learnt to practice in our Its Your Neighbourhood plans for this year.

Competition time

In the last two issues of Fairfield Matters I have mentioned that we plan to hold a Hanging Basket and Container competition and I am pleased to be able to announce that Thornes Nursery have kindly agreed to sponsor the competition and our Tesco Local are also helping by providing a drop-off point for your entry forms.

The competition is free to enter and is open to all in the Fairfield parish. It will be light hearted and provide the opportunity for you to let your creativity flow and to help make Fairfield look even more beautiful!

Your hanging basket or container (or arrangement of both) must be at the front of the property to allow for judging and your entry form must state address and location. Thornes are ready and willing to provide advice and planting suggestions for those needing a little help, and they will have a selection of plants available so get your planting schemes ready and remember tender summer plants should be protected and only planted out when the risk of frost has passed.

Entries will be judged on the basis of appropriate planting – consider wildlife friendly, drought tolerant plants – and we will have a dedicated award for young people who wish to enter. Judging will take place in mid to late July when your summer planting will look at its best.

Entries will be open until 15 June and the actual judging date will be announced in the June edition of Fairfield Matters. To enter all you need to do is complete the entry form in the May printed edition of Fairfield Matters and drop it off in Tesco Fairfield or in the Community Hall.

Sara Chick, It’s Your Neighbourhood Coordinator