Hanging basket displays are back to their blooming best

THE hanging baskets which have decorated Henley this summer have been praised.

Residents and businesses bought 241 baskets from Henley in Bloom this year, supported by the Henley Standard’s Buy a Basket campaign.

The baskets are installed and maintained by Windowflowers, of Burnham, each year.

After last year’s display was described as “drab” company director Miles Watson-Smyth pledged to do better.

Rather than trying to comply with a specific theme, this year’s baskets featured the “best plants available” and focused on colour, vibrancy and longevity.

They had a mix of contrasting purple, red, apricot and white flowers to provide variety throughout the season as well as attract pollinators.

These included surfinia purple, pelargonium cascade red, apricot begonia, lobelia erinus laura white and verbena rigida venosa purple.

Speaking a meeting of the Henley in Bloom sub-committee, Councillor Kellie Hinton said this year’s baskets was a “really good year”.

She said: “I think it’s a shame when the winter baskets go in because they look sparse and it’s really noticeable after a really good year of baskets, so the winter ones will look terrible.

“There is nothing we can do about it, they don’t blossom as much over the winter, they are just more contained.”

Catherine Notaras, a member of the committee, agreed, describing the summer baskets as “fabulous, absolutely stunning”.

Kyle Dowling, the town council’s assistant parks manager, said: “The winter baskets take longer to blossom and when it’s time to replace them they start blossoming.

“We could eke some more time out of the summer basket when it’s time to take down.”

Meanwhile, refurbishment of Red Lion Lawn, next to Henley Bridge, has been completed. The council, which owns the beauty spot, has repaired a curved bench, replacing rotting timber supports as well as the timber decking and some paving slabs at a cost of about £15,000.

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward told the sub-committee that the work has been “very good” and that the council was going to make a grant application to install CCTV to deter vandalism.

The sub-committee also discussed areas in the town which required attention if it were to enter next year’s Britain in Bloom competition.

This followed a walk-through by Mr Jacklin-Edward, town centre manager Paul Carey, parks manager Karl Bishop and Mr Dowling, his assistant.

Work identified included the planting and renovation of the twinning beds, Rotary beds and sensory garden, which will start in the autumn.

Ms Notaras noted that the approach to Henley before reaching the bridge “could do with a tidy-up”. She said: “It is one of the iconic images of Henley, that approach. The other thing is there is a failing tree on the right hand side, which is in everybody’s watercolour of Henley.”

Cllr Hinton said in the first instance they would need to contact Remenham Parish Council, adding: “There are residents there who really care and I am sure they would help us champion this.”

The sub-committee also supported a grant application of £300 from The Henley College for new planters at its Deanfield campus.

It said that the planters would “attract pollinators and other wildlife” and be maintained by the college’s pathway students.

Ms Notaras said: “I think it’s a very good idea but the problem with schools is out of school time watering. I also fear that they might be used by the college students to sit on.”

The sub-committee recommended the grant is approved, subject to confirmation of out of term time watering and assurances that they would not be vandalised.