 |
Welcome to the Carrickfergus in Bloom Website |
There are many reasons why we feel proud of Carrickfergus Borough - one of them is the abundance of flowers and attractive horticultural displays. Each summer the Borough is brightened up by hundreds of hanging baskets, bedding displays, shrub beds and trees. Carrickfergus Borough Council developed the Carrickfergus in Bloom initiative to brighten up the Borough, to become a 'Borough of Flowers'. The objective is to make a brighter Borough for the benefit of all citizens and visitors. This website has been designed to provide current news, information and advice on all our inbloom activities. However, please do contact carrickfergus in bloom if you would like to see anything else at www.carrickfergusinbloom.org.
Carrickfergus in Bloom Community Competitions & Virtual Flower Show
Each year we organise the Carrickfergus in Bloom Community Competitions with a £1200 prize fund. The categories are Best Kept Garden; Best Kept Container Garden; Best Kept Community Planting Scheme; Best Kept Commercial Premises; and Best Kept Floral Display by Traders in a Street or Centre. The Young people’s categories include Painting, Poetry, Tallest Sunflower and the Giant Pumpkin Competition, click here for more information on our 2009 competitions winners.
We also have a web based competition called the Virtual Flower Show: to view the 2008 competition winners click here.
Carrickfergus in Bloom Gardening Advice
The following gardening tips have been added to help to make your garden a success. Hanging Basket Tips, Butterfly Paradise, Composting your Garden Waste, How to Plant and Stake a Tree, Tree Planting Tips, Wildlife Gardening, Build a bird nestbox, Night time Gardening, Grow Crops in Pots, Growing Tomatoes etc. Click here to visit our gardening advice section. Not sure when things in the garden should be done? Use the handy carrickfergus in bloom gardening planner to find out what your should be doing in your garden each month.
Carrickfergus in Bloom Campaigns
A vital part of the Carrickfergus in Bloom initiative is the campaigning work we do in the community. In 2009 we continue our campaigns to promote biodiversity through our Blooming Wild campaign, growing vegetables in schools, getting communities working with community grants; tree week kicks off our tree planting campaign and linking gardening to the health, fitness and wellbeing agenda. Click here to view the Carrickfergus in Bloom campaigns section.
Latest News
UN World Environment Day
Green gardeners have a carbon footprint a third smaller than regular gardeners, which is why Carrickfergus Borough Council is urging more of us to ‘go green’ in the garden for UN World Environment Day. For more information click here.
Fancy an Allotment? Carrickfergus Borough Council has released allotments at Eden Playing Fields. Allotment gardening can provide a number of benefits to individuals and the environment. For more information on our allotment service click here.
Nest Box Challenge: Put up a bird box and join others in the Nest Box Challenge survey 2009. We want to encourage everyone to put up nest boxes in their local area in order to promote and enhance biodiversity and conservation of our breeding birds and wildlife. All you have to do is put a nest box up at your home, school or workplace, register for the Nest Box Challenge and then let us know what happens. For more information on our Nest Box Challenge click here.
National Tree Week is an annual festival to mark the start of the tree planting season, and a nationwide celebration of trees and woods. National Tree Week is a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape. Across Carrickfergus Borough there will be lots of opportunities to plant trees. For more information on National Tree Week in Carrickfergus click here
Britain in Bloom Whitehead is celebrating another horticultural success after achieving a silver gilt award at the RHS Britain in Bloom Awards, the largest horticultural campaign in Europe. The awards ceremony, attended by over 450 gardening enthusiasts and community champions, was held on Wednesday night (24th September 2008) at Chester Race Course, with special guest, TV gardener Chris Beardshaw, presenting the prizes. A delegation representing the town at Chester Race Course included Bill Pollock, Chairperson of Brighter Whitehead; Local Councillors Alderman May Beattie and Councillor Isobel Day; and Stephen Daye and Mathew Hunter from Carrickfergus Borough Council's Parks and Countryside Service. See Britain in Bloom 2008 News Section
Beach Road: The environmental improvements at Beach Road Nature Reserve have now been completed. For further information on this newly improved resource for Whitehead click here for further information or you can now visit the Beach Road Nature Reserve website.
One World Garden: The One World Garden at the Whitehead Recreation Grounds was offically opened on Friday 5th September. For more information visit the one world garden section.
Keep in Touch with Carrickfergus in Bloom
To keep in touch with all Carrickfergus in Bloom activities, join the carrickfergus in bloom mailing list. To contact Carrickfergus in Bloom by e-mail Carrickfergus in Bloom or telephone 028 9335 8039.
homepage - search - campaigns - downloads - schools - tourist information - site map - links - contact
Carrickfergus Borough Council developed the Carrickfergus in Bloom initiative to brighten up the Borough, to become a Borough of Flowers. Our objective is to make a Brighter Borough for the benefit of all citizens and visitors. The Carrickfergus in Bloom initiative includes the towns of Carrickfergus, Whitehead, Eden and Greenisland.
