Ilkeston - This Blooming Town
w/e 25 August 2013
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
The summer season is already slipping almost imperceptibly
into autumn so it would be remiss of me not to capture some images
of the summer planting that has brightened up the town.
It was this small but brightly coloured flower bed at the junction
of Lower Stanton Road and Cavendish Road that put the thought
in my head when I remembered that I had previously looked at
Beds'n'Baskets
around the town. "It's too soon to repeat that" I thought
but looking back I found it was just over two years ago in August
2011 when I took those photos.
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So setting off again to revisit some of those places
I found the same colour scheme of fiery reds and yellows had
been adopted in the three beds appropriately enough outside the
Community Fire Station on the corner of Derby Road and Oakwell
Drive.
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Nearby at the entrance to the Rec. is the more subdued pink in
the Ron Brooks sponsored bed where new yellow gates have just
been erected as part of the new children's play area that has
seen lots of new equipment installed. The tower on the left however
is not part of the play equipment, that's the training tower
at the Fire Station!
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  The obvious place to go for summer bedding of
course is Victoria Park but although we passed it (left) I decided
on this occasion to look for alternative places like the island
at Cotmanhay (right) where the blaze of yellow and orange is
like a splash of sunshine even on the darkest of days. We returned
from Cotmanhay to take in another traffic island at the Station
Road/Chalons Way intersection.
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In the middle of town the Cotmanhay colours are repeated with
the addition of a purple border at the Cenotaph. For the summer,
hanging baskets have also been added along the western edge of
the Market Place.
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And on the eastern side, the line of tubs have been planted mainly
with red begonias.
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Two more beds that the unsuspecting passers-by will miss sit
behind the railings either side of the Town Hall entrance but
it is well worth peering over or through the railings to enjoy
the full benefit.
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So to the piece-de-resistance - the large island at the southern
end of Chalons Way or as we old timers still call it, White Lion
Square. In any other year the display of the five circular beds
on the island would be regarded as exceptional but after last
year's display for Jubilee year which was truly outstanding,
this display would come in second as it would take a lot to top
the Union Flag design.
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The island this year, along with others along Chalons Way, has
been supplemented with additional "window" boxes on
the railings around the islands.
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And as a finishing touch lighting columns have also been enhanced
with beautifully filled baskets. Whatever your perception of
Ilkeston you have to admit at the moment it's a right blooming
place to live and congratulations are once again due to the Council's
Green Space team for their endeavours in keeping all the displays
looking super.
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