Over the pandemic, we’ve been assisting Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks (FOIRP) by developing a landscape master plan of improvements for Ilkley Riverside Park with new features and focal points including a petanque court, a community herb garden, new play area and seating opportunities: new planting beds for colour, structure and shelter, tree planting; extending meadows and areas for wildlife, as well as signage and interpretation.

The first phase of work ‘on the ground’ has been the creation of new flowerbeds at the New Brook Street entrance, forming a large elliptical bed of perennials and roses around the war memorial, a new border in the balcony seating area above and new planting in the small entrance beds on Bridge Lane and Castle Road.

The planting beds taking shape around the War Memorial

Many of the plants were donated by one of our wonderful clients who wishes to remain anonymous. With the help of Rachel Forbes Landscape Design and Linda Taylor Horticulturalist and other helpers, we were able to salvage plants this spring from our client’s garden and incorporate them into a new planting design in the park for everyone’s enjoyment.

New perennials include Eryngium planum, the bright blue sea holly, Leuchanthemums - long flowering white daisies, Verbena bonariensis for clouds of purple flowers in the late summer and ornamental grasses including floaty Stipa Pony Tails and Miscanthus Morning Light. With a donation from the Cooperative, FOIRP were able to purchase shrub roses from David Austin roses, selecting a white shrub rose, ‘Tranquillity’ for the memorial area with Rosemary for remembrance and in the balcony area as a gesture to our celebrity Ilkley garden expert, planted Rosa ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ a pretty pink shrub rose.

The FOIRP worked tirelessly, under the direction of Ed Duguid on the build up to the planting day to strip the turf, bring in new topsoil and prepare the beds in tim for planting. We were kindly supported by many volunteers on the day to help us transport the plants, plant and to water, including some kind locals who literally rolled up their sleeves to help on the day.

The planting volunteers: Left to right: Isabel Almond, James Cooper, Helen Taylor, Patrick Campbell, Ian Campbell, Anne Eldred, Linda Taylor, Rachel Forbes, Joanne Hartley

We’re looking forward to seeing he perennials flourish and flower this first season in celebration of the lifting of lockdown and the official opening later this summer, with Alan Titchmarsh.

In the autumn we’ll be turning our attention to the embankment area with further perennial and shrub planting.

Plant Lists

a) War Memorial Beds

Shrubs

Cornus sanguinia Midwinter Fire

Laurus nobilis pyramid (bay laurel)

Prunus Otto Luyken

Rosa Tranquillity

Rosemary officinalis

Perennials

Acanthus variety

Actea variety

Agapanthus Headbourne Hybrid

Allium in variety

Artichoke variety

Cirsium rivulare Atropurpureum

Echinops Veitch’s Blue

Eryngium planum

Geranium sangineum

Hemerocallis variety

Heuchera – red varieties

Leucanthemum May Queen

Lily variety

Nepeta faassenii Walkers Low

Paeony variety

Phlomis russelliana

Rudbeckia Goldsturm

Sedum Autumn Joy

Siladacea (pale pink variety)

Stachys Silver Carpet

Verbena lollipop

Ornamental grasses

Calamagrostis Karl Forster

Carex Bronze Form

Miscanthus Morning Light

Stipa tenuissima

Uncinia rubra

b) Balcony terrace seating area

Shrubs

Amelanchier lamarkii

Chaenomeles Pink Lady

Rosa Alan Titchmarsh

Skimmia Kew Green

Viburnum carlesii

Perennials

Allium in variety

Erigeron karvinskianus

Geum Mai Tai?

Nepeta faassenii Walkers Low

Persicaria Fire Tail

Potentilla Ron McBeath

Sedum Autumn Joy

Siladacea (pale pink variety)

c) Entrance beds

Perennials

Agapanthus Headbourne Hybrids

Brunnera Jack Frost

Carex Everest

Scabious ‘Butterfly Blue’

Brunnera Jack Frost

Astrantia red variety

Bergenia pink variety

Verbena bonariensis

Leucanthemum Snow Lady

Salvia Carradonna

Ornamental Grasses

Stipa Pony Tails

Miscanthus Morning Light

Ilkley Riverside Park - New planting April 2021