Shropshire Star

Colourful nursery is key to Shrewsbury success

It is a year-round operation that sees 300,000 plants grown on site – all to give Shrewsbury its award-winning floral displays.

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The Shrewsbury Town Council's Weeping Cross Centre covers about the size of a football pitch, filled with flowers, plants and shrubs that will soon be found around the town.

And next week the centre is inviting gardening enthusiasts to have a look behind the glass doors for a rare open day inside its headquarters.

Rob Plimmer, head of operational logistics said he is looking forward to welcoming people to the centre.

He said: "The size of it does surprise people, they don't realise just quite how big it is.

"They really are amazed when they come and see it."

Hannah Dickinson tends to some of the bedding plants

Last year in the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom Awards, the town was crowned Champion of Champions.

And that success is all down to the incredible expertise, machinery and systems in place at the Shrewsbury depot.

Alan Gibbs, nursery foreman, who has been part of the operation for 10 years, said most people do not realise how big the effort is.

He said: "A lot of people don't realise what a big operation it is.

"Most think it is all bought in but we grow it all here – about 50 per cent from seed and the other half from very small plants.

"It is all run on an automated computer system – we can control heating, ventilation and watering from a computer screen.

"It is down to that system and the staff here that we do so well as a town.

"The growing conditions really are very good here and it is proof in the quality of the plants."

The greenhouse is currently packed full of blooms ready for summer planting, commercial hanging baskets and plants that will feature on roundabouts, the town's square and Shrewsbury's 365-days-a-year show garden in the Dingle.

All will be on show during the open evening event, which will be held next Wednesday from 6pm.

Guests will be given the grand tour of the green house with demonstrations and the opportunity to put questions to the gardening staff and Bloom committee members during the event.

Registration for the open evening is essential and requests to attend should be sent to hilary.humphries-stc@shropshire.gov.uk bythe end of Monday.

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