Andrew Brain, Catherine Dawson, Rebecca Davis and Melanie Lesser with one of the Sylvamix peat-free hanging baskets
Environmental credentials, including peat reduction, play an increasing part in the judging criteria for Britain in Bloom. The Bury St Edmunds in Bloom team decided to pick up the gauntlet and we are delighted that that their hanging basket supplier strongly recommended Melcourt Sylvamix® as the chosen peat-free product. Melcourt is sponsoring the compost for 170 of Bury St Edmunds’ hanging basket display.
Last week our Technical Director Catherine Dawson met Bury in Bloom’s co-ordinator Melanie Lesser and St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s Horticultural Officer Rebecca Davis at Melcourt customer Woolpit Nurseries where the Melcourt baskets along with over 300 peat-based ones have been grown by owner Andrew Brain. Melanie said: “We hope that the trial will show that Bury in Bloom and St Edmundsbury BC can move towards using a peat free compost in all their baskets in the future.” The baskets will have the Sylvagrow® logo on the bottom and will be monitored throughout the summer season to see how well they perform.
Melcourt’s Catherine Dawson added, “We are delighted to be sponsoring this trial and are confident that the baskets will flourish. We supply several other councils with Sylvamix® Hanging Basket where it routinely performs very well. The ingredients, which include a moisture retention aid, have been designed to allow the baskets to cope well with the severe combination of copious plant growth, drying conditions and exposure to all sorts of weather.”
Watch this space for progress reports!
Some of the 170 Sylvamix hanging baskets ready for despatch to the streets of Bury St Edmunds
