Our main focus during today's task day was the planting out of a new Rose Hedge around the rear borders of the War Memorial Beds. We planted 30 Rose Stromboli specimens around each of the two borders and these should develop into a low hedge covered in red roses that flower between June and November each year.
This is part of our plans to commemorate the approaching centenaries of the Great War (1914-1918) and we hope that the new "Rose Wall" will be looking good in time for 2014, the 100th Anniversary of the start of the war that resulted in the dedication of our park to the community in 1922.
We've installed a temporary barrier around the beds to provide protection to the roses while they get established and we hope that people will respect our request to keep their dogs off the beds and not to walk on them.
Other tasks today included the repair of the Infants Play Area fence, which had been subject to vandalism with several slats being kicked out and planting of donated plants and shrubs in various areas.
Marple Allotment Association were in attendance again and have added more vegetables to their new plot.
In addition, yesterday one of our volunteers who couldn't attend today treated seven park benches with a new coat of preservative as a self-imposed penance and these are looking really good.
