PLANTERS painted in the Musselburgh colours of blue and yellow are set to look ‘blooming marvellous’ thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

Led by Eve Dickinson, president of Musselburgh Horticultural Society, and Sharon Brown, who owns Blueberry gifts, they got to work to ensure the High Street display was looking its best for the summer.

Eve stressed that the horticultural society was not ‘adopting’ the 11 large planters but she had taken them “under her wing” from a personal interest.

“With Musselburgh Festival only five weeks away, I felt that the planters desperately needed to be upgraded,” she said.

Eve, along with Sharon, enlisted seven volunteers to clear out the “unsightly” weeds from the planters last Sunday.

Working for three hours, they fitted a weed-resistant membrane and topped it with bark mulch from local garden centre Strawberry Corner, ready for a range of hardy perennials suitable for the location.

East Lothian Courier: Weeds had sprouted in the planters

Weeds had sprouted in the planters

Eve said: “I am doing this on a not-for-profit basis and it is hoped that funding to cover the costs may be forthcoming from the Common Good Fund.”

She highlighted issues with ongoing care, saying that local businesses had to water the planters themselves, using a few volunteers with watering cans.

“These planters require gallons of water.

“Unfortunately, there is no funding for East Lothian Council to maintain a watering regime and the local businesses cannot afford to cover the cost out of their own pockets,” she said.

“We were very fortunate to have Sharon filling buckets to water both the newly planted three-tier planters at the east end of Musselburgh High Street and the 11 huge planters that we were weeding.

“We were also extremely fortunate to be permitted to attach a hose to fill our watering cans and buckets for the planters by Luca’s.

“It took 120 buckets of water to moisten the soil in the 11 planters.

“I am helping with advice, design, preparation, plants purchasing and planting.

“With regards to plants, I have chosen a range of hardy, drought-tolerant plants that can cope with dry soil and direct sun.

“Some of the few surviving plants will be replanted as they have shown that they can survive the poor dry soil.”

Blue campanula, blue salvia, yellow day lilies, yellow rock roses, sedums, Mediterranean herbs, rosemary and thyme will be displayed in the troughs at The Sportsman, Luca’s and Links Vets.

Eve said that the council planted up the black tier planters, which are watered by Sharon, Musselburgh Rotary Club and volunteers.

“A huge thanks to our volunteers and especially to Strawberry Corner, who not only donated fertiliser but delivered our 15 bags of bark to the three locations without charge and with less than 24 hours’ notice. Mark McGrath at the council’s amenity services has been amazingly kind with lots of advice,” she added.

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We understand this was a community-led initiative and that consideration is being given by members of the community to the future maintenance of the planters.”