East Suffolk Council
East Suffolk Blooms community wildflower growing scheme returns
A flourishing environmental scheme, encouraging people in East Suffolk to grow beautiful, pollinator-friendly wildflowers, is returning for 2024.
Each year, East Suffolk Council distributes free packs of bulbs to town and parish councils, community groups and organisations to plant locally as part of the East Suffolk Blooms campaign.
And the planting efforts of last year’s successful applicants are already being rewarded with colourful narcissus displays.
This time, in tandem with the East Suffolk’s Amazing project to promote an all-round effort to keeping the district clean and attractive, and in order to provide greater benefit to pollinators, East Suffolk Council will be offering blends of native bulbs that appeal particularly to bees and butterflies.
East Suffolk Council's Public Realm Contracts Manager, Laura Hack said: “We were thrilled with the level of interest in last year’s scheme and we’re looking forward to receiving applications for East Suffolk Blooms in 2024.
“We expect to have enough bags of bulbs to distribute one to each of 50 groups across the district.”
Packs of bulbs will be available to collect in the autumn, around October, from two locations in the district.
A ‘Bees Mix’ of bulbs flowers from February to May and includes crocuses, chionodoxas, scillas, muscaris and naturalising tulips, while the ‘Butterfly Mix’ flowers between May and July and comprises camassias, nectaroscordums, irises and alliums.
The scheme is funded by East Suffolk Council’s trading company and services operator, East Suffolk Services Ltd, and from the Enabling Communities Budget scheme.
An application form will be available to complete online until 30 June, before a judging panel meets to decide the successful applicants, with additional consideration given to groups reapplying after missing out last year. Applicants will then be informed of the decision by August.
Applications are now closed.