On any given season you can be sure to wander through Buss Park and be surrounded by garden beds full of colourful and beautiful flowers.
It's a project of pride for the Bundaberg Regional Council Parks team in charge of beautifying the area, who work each day to maintain the lawn and flora to keep it in pristine condition.
Council labourer Tim Appleby said he and his crew were responsible for planting different flowers within the four seasons each year at Buss Park.
“We do four plantings a year, we often start with marigolds during the warmer part and a bit more colour during the winter,” he said.
Right now, a sea of orange and yellow is stretched out across the park, with large marigolds blossoming within the multiple garden beds.
Tim said the flowers made for an impressive sight and added to the ambience of the area, providing a perfect spot for people to sit, eat their lunch and relax.
“It is somewhere for the community to come and enjoy the flowers,” he said.
“We get a lot of positive feedback from the community.”
Flowers chosen for their hardy nature
Council's Area Supervisor Greg Hart said marigolds were the main floral species chosen to brighten up Buss Park due to their generous colourful displays.
“They are hardy plants tolerant of challenging conditions and are relatively easily managed by crew,” he said.
“In addition, marigolds come in a range of hybrid varieties offering varying growth habits and traits such as varying heights and shades of yellow, oranges and reds, etc.”
Greg said the spring planting began in late June and gave crews the opportunity to utilise other flowering varieties such as violas and pansy, snapdragon, phlox, cosmos and petunias.
“These plant types add a vibrant colour palette to the garden and also break the monotony of marigolds during the ‘happy’ Spring season,” he said.
“Crews get more enjoyment in establishing plant types that showcase specialised skill. “
Buss Park beautification keeps local history alive
Parks and Gardens portfolio spokesperson Cr Wayne Honor said Buss Park celebrated a rich history and was a special place in the region.
“Buss Park is the heart of the town and has been since 1930s when it was opened by Alderman Grimwood who was Chairman of the Parks Committee,” he said.
“It holds great significance relevant to the Bundaberg Regional Council with its founder Charles Buss being a local Councillor who initially funded the initiative for a beautiful green space in the Bundaberg CBD.”
Cr Honor said the constant maintenance and beautification of Buss Park was a testament to the current parks team and their pride of the area.
“Over the years the floral planting arrangement has been modified to create a garden style atmosphere providing respite from the bustling business centre,” he said.
“This area is such a wonderful place to stroll through and I know our team of labourers get a great deal of joy out of replenishing it with stunning flora every season.”
Find out more about Buss Park and the CBD here.
