The bedtime story continues

In the last Arlingtonian, we showed you in pictures the back-breaking work our volunteer gard eners devoted to preparing the two flowerbeds at the south of the square. Just after we went to press, dozens of them turned up again to plant hundreds of new plants, under the direction of our lead volunteer, garden designer Paul Thompson-McArthur.

This time our pictures show Paul supervising the process in April, following his meticulous planting plan, and the same bed in late July – a glorious display of colour and form that delights not just visitors but also the local bees, who just can’t keep away from all the precious nectar.

Our two new ‘Coronation’ beds, with their ever-changing patterns, are wonderful to behold. Now we want to match these glories in the two beds at the north end of the gardens. But replacing the decades-old roses and the weeds won’t be a cheap exercise. We need funds to buy hundreds of new plants, and tonnes of fresh topsoil and compost. If you would like to support the creation of new wonders at the north of the square, you can contribute to our 2023 Gardening Appeal at www.bit.ly/rosebeds or by using the QR code. Please donate whatever you can spare. Thank you.