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The SIAC Roundabout Summer 2008 and Summer 2009
The SIAC Roundabout Project:The roundabout on London Road leading to and from Cirencester was crying out to be made over. The original planting design was one of small beds filled with seasonal bedding and framed by box trees which were strategically placed around the outer edge and a cherry tree had been planted in the centre surrounded by a ring of lavender. The affect was neat and tidy but with a plot of land the size that it is, it really needed a ‘WOW’ factor that would get people talking.
The roundabout before the makeover So, in late June 2006, we set about tackling the largest project we had undertaken so far and drew up plans to plant the roundabout with permanent landscaping . A bed in the shape of a five pointed star was designed with its points coming down towards the roadway forming five matching beds with a central inner ring. This gave the roundabout the nick name ‘Galactica’. . The theme for this bed was ‘Loose & Natural’. A colour scheme of pink, yellow and orange was chosen using sambuccas, yellow physocarpus and escalonias in the centre. Coming down the points, colourful shrubs and perennials including red berberis, yellow choisya and spiraea, lavenders and cistus were mixed with orange geums, yellow anthemis, white gauras, orange kniphofia ‘Tetbury Torches’ & crimson penstemon. All the plants used roughly graduate in size towards the tips of the star. The cherry tree and lavenders that formed part of the original planting, stayed in place. In all, the majority of the plants are sustainable using just a few begonias, yellow marguerites and antirrhinums to carry colour through the spaces between the plants over the Summer months.
Marking out the star shaped bed
With the plants having been chosen by Sue Hirst our plant co-ordinator, the team set to and completed the planting in just one evening
The finished bed look great but unfortunately was spoilt by the over large chevrons. So…..
We managed to persuade the powers that be to change them for us to much smaller ones!
One year on, the roundabout in 2007
The planting on the roundabout has been a resounding success and is the talk of everyone , not only the residents of Tetbury but visitors and residents from neighbouring towns. In Autumn 2008 the original cherry tree fell victim to disease and was replaced by a crab apple ‘Malus Rudolph’ which was specially chosen for its size and colouring being a small tree with deep pink blossom in Spring, bronzy coloured leaves in Summer and orange fruits in Autumn that stay on the tree until well into Winter. If it all goes to plan, this tree should compliment the colours in the bed beautifully. We wait and see!!
Spring 2009 Summer 2009
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