Wizard of Oz garden beats 20,000 to win Bury in Bloom gold

Care UK’s Davers Court, on Shakers Lane, and Glastonbury Court, on Glastonbury Road, are celebrating after securing first place in Bury in Bloom, which judges over 20,000 gardens.

Red shoes on the pergola (Image: Glastonbury Court)The award commends enthusiastic gardeners who have used wildlife friendly plants and minimised plastic use. This year’s Bury in Bloom theme was ‘theatre’.

At Glastonbury Court, the residents and team created a yellow brick road inspired by the Wizard of Oz in the courtyard. Flowers were planted in themed pots, including witch’s legs and red shoes and residents helped create hanging baskets to decorate bedrooms and balconies. Completing the theatrical look are the ‘Cats’ and ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat’ themed areas and plant pots. 

At Davers Court, residents painted theatre-themed canvases, including ‘The Birds’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Cats’, which were placed around the garden. Later this year, keen artists Tessa Taylor, 84, Elfrida Cobbold, 83, Christine Thompson, 91, and Janet Hartup, 82, will be reusing the canvases to host an art exhibition at the home.

Looking good (Image: Davers Court)As part of the project, residents from Glastonbury Court and Davers Court visited local garden centres, including Dobbies, to buy flowers and seeds. They also chose fruit and vegetables which were planted earlier in the year, and have been picked, and cooked by the home's Head Chef to create home-grown meals.

As part of the Glastonbury Court spring and summer gardening club, residents planted sweet peas, dahlias, cosmos sunflowers and wildflowers, as well as growing fruit and vegetables including carrots, runner beans, beetroot and strawberries.

Judges at Bury in Bloom were particularly impressed to see the additional water butts across both homes since last year’s judging, as well as the new vegetable patches.

The proud winners (Image: Glastonbury Court)Ana Mihai, Home Manager at Glastonbury Court, said: “We’re thrilled to have won gold alongside Davers Court in this year’s Bury in Bloom. Well done to everyone who has helped create our award-winning garden – I’m extremely proud!”  

Sophie Evans, Home Manager at Davers Court, added: “Congratulations are certainly in order to the team and residents who have been squirreling away all summer to create a wonderful space to help everyone.”

For more about Glastonbury Court or Davers Court, email Customer Relations Manager, Bonnie Hall, on bonnie.hall@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/bury-st-edmunds