Prior to the lock down we are all currently experiencing, Friends Of Stafford Cemeteries group were able to take a walk around the peaceful, Green Flag Award winning Stafford Crematorium and capture some of the beautiful flowers and colours that have recently come in to bloom.
Friends of Stafford Cemeteries volunteer group work alongside Stafford Borough Council's Bereavement Services to protect and preserve our local cemeteries for public benefit and one of our main aim's is to raise awareness of these locations as places of remembrance, spirituality and nature.
On entrance to the Crematorium grounds we were greeted along the winding driveway by waves of white and purple Crocus.
The Crocus at Stafford Crematorium are dwarf, deciduous perennials with linear leaves usually with a silvery central stripe and goblet-shaped, with an orange stamen in Spring.
Sometimes fragrant, the Crocus calyx shaped flowers open when the sun shines or when there is a lot of light, with the petals closing in rainy weather and at night time. Crocus are one of the most commonly found bulb plants found in gardens and parks as they naturalise easily and flower year after year, making them perfect for the Crematorium.
In addition to Crocus, we also found delicate Snowdrops nestling at the base of trees and in secluded areas of the Children's Memorial Garden. One of the earliest and loveliest flowering Spring bulbs, the Snowdrops appear for only a few weeks adding colour and beauty.
Slightly fragrant, the dainty, nodding white flowers have a green spot at the apex of each petal, atop two narrow, greyish leaves. Much like the Crocus, the Snowdrop naturalises easily and flowers every year.
And finally, nothing says Spring like the bright yellow Daffodil, of which we found many spread around the gardens adding an extra burst of colour alongside the Crocus and Snowdrops.
With their bright yellow trumpet-shaped elegant flowers, the Daffodil's looked absolutely fabulous when combined with the other Spring bulbs. Again, like the Crocus and Snowdrops they naturalise, multiplying year after year and really draw the attention.
We love taking a walk around Stafford Crematorium. On a beautiful, sunny day with the sound of birdsong around you, it really is a beautiful sight and calming experience to behold.
We hope to be able to visit again (hopefully around the end of April / beginning of May should the current lock down rules be lessened by then) to see the Bluebells that appear annually underneath the trees near the entrance to the crematorium.
For more information on Friends of Stafford Cemeteries and the work that we do, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/friendsofstaffordcemeteries/ or get in touch with Stafford Bereavement Services at bereavementservices@staffordbc.gov.uk
SOURCES
RHS - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/99342/Crocus-tommasinianus-Whitewell-Purple/Details
Gardenia - https://www.gardenia.net/plant/crocus-tommasinianus-whitewell-purple
Gardenia - https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/crocus-tommasinianus-botanical-crocus
Gardenia - https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/narcissi-daffodils
Gardenia - https://www.gardenia.net/plant/galanthus-nivalis-snowdrop
PHOTOS CREDIT
All photos taken by Steve Frampton, www.stephenframpton.co.uk on behalf of Friends Of Stafford Cemeteries