Flowers flourish in Buss Park

Buss Park, historically known as the Market Square, has been in the heart of Bundaberg since the 1930s and displays beautiful flower arrangements for the community to enjoy.

It's a project of pride for the Bundaberg Regional Council CBD Parks team in charge of beautifying the area, who work each day to maintain the lawn and gardens to keep it in pristine condition.

Leading Hand Travis Hinton said there were three plantings per year all lasting around four months.

These plants are chosen based around the seasons and what will thrive best in  local conditions.

“One is a winter variation where we plant a very colourful display of winter suited annuals and the other two are very similar where we plant a display of marigolds,” Travis said.

Travis said during winter a colourful display was planted including species such as chrysanthemums, petunias, snap dragons, phlox, pansies, cosmos and helichrysums.

Then for summer and spring a variation of yellow and orange marigolds were planted.

Prior preparation of the garden beds was crucial to maintain the flowers growth after planting according to Travis who said the team has a weekly schedule in place to ensure the health of the flora tended to.

“A mix of fertiliser and soil conditioner gets rotary hoed into the garden beds before they are planted with the crop,” he said.

“We maintain a schedule of weekly fertilising with soil conditioner and fertilisers.

“Also aerating the soil where possible with a scarifier and keeping on top of all the weeds.

“The CBD crew consists of six specialised horticulturists, all of which assist in the initial garden bed preparation and planting with one to two providing care for the rest of the annuals’ lifetime.”

Buss Park has always been a place for the public to enjoy and Travis said the CBD Parks crew were a passionate team and who worked hard to keep it that way.