The area around this long-stay car park is a main gateway into Cleveleys, and earmarked for a continuous programme of improvement. In 2024 Care for Cleveleys made a flower bed at the entrance. Now in 2026 we’re making a new garden at Derby Road Car Park!
Making a New Garden at Derby Road Car Park – Mar ’26
The grass verge around the car park extends to a large area. We intend to develop all of it over the medium to long term into a pleasant environment for visitors, and improve the biodiversity. The plan is to improve the whole space and gateway from the main town car park into the town.
This has been some time in the making. This garden project was originally to be done in 2025, but the priority then was opening the new Care for Cleveleys Shop! However, in 2025 the group did manage to install the first parts of the garden project, the decorative steel arch over the footpath and the owl bench.
Throughout the winter of 2025/26, volunteers also bought, propagated and collected plants at the back of the Shop, in readiness for planting. Thank you to the Veolia Sustainability Fund (more below). A large border needs a lot of plants and they don’t just appear overnight! Sedum spectabile was lifted and donated by a member of the public, plus plenty of leucanthemum, and others. All species which tolerate the harsh salty winds. Plants are all chosen for their wide season of interest, tolerance to the conditions and attractiveness to wildlife.
Making the Garden
Care for Cleveleys worked with landowners Wyre Council to deliver this project. Plans were first discussed, agreed and marked out, then Wyre’s gardening team very kindly lifted and removed the turf.
Early on a beautifully bright Saturday morning, 7 March 2026, volunteers gathered to begin making the garden.
Residual bits of turf and weeds were first removed and the soil dug. The dozens of plants were hauled to the site from their overwintering spot, tidied up and sorted by type. With preparation of the beds complete the next step was to lay them out, stand back and check the design, then get planting! Eagle eyed observers will have noticed the appearance of a new trio of toadstools, to go with the owl bench.
After an early 10am start, it was almost 5pm by the time that all of the plants were in place and watered. A good days work well done!
Here’s a short video of the days work –
Planted at Derby Road Car Park in the New Garden…
All of the plants for the new Derby Road Garden were selected purposely for their hardiness in the tough conditions. Salty sea air blows across here, coming straight from the sea, so they need to be resilient. Here’s just a few of the species:
- Sedum spectabile – autumn flowering and covered in big blooms which provide loads of late nectar for bees and insects.
- Rosemary and lavender – with tough, leathery leaves – these fragrant plants are near the owl bench for the delight of those taking a rest.
- Grasses – of many varieties – planted to form a backbone to the display. These will waft and wave in the breeze, topped with plumes of seed heads.
- Hydrangea – that tough and tolerant seaside favourite – selected to form some structure and shape.
- Rudbekia – a hardy herbacious perennial, topped with masses of dark yellow flowers that dry to create a winter display (and food for the birds).
- Leucanthemum – a leathery leaved plant topped with masses of white daisy like flowers. Pretty and airy they tolerate the wind well.
- Cornus – a shrub selected for its winter stems in red and yellow.
- Euphorbia – grows in the wild at the coast as ‘sea spurge’. We’ve planted cultivated forms which are attractive and hardy.
- Holly – structural planting, selected for its hardy foliage and attractive berries in winter.
Are you planting a coastal garden at the seaside? Find illustrated examples of plants which should survive at this link.
Growing the Garden
This is just the first phase of creating a new garden to welcome people to Cleveleys. The plan is to extend the garden arrangement along the edge of all the grass verge. There are sapling whips planted at the western end – the ‘Little Wood’ and plans for a ‘Holly Wood’ at the eastern end. You might remember that large saplings planted in 2024 all failed. Numerous people donated money for memorial trees – and that’s where they will be planted.
We’ve created low-maintenance and weather hardy beds with suitable planting for the exposed coastal location. Incorporating a mixture of trees, shrubs, grasses and perennial planting. Wooden dead-hedges and natural trellis-type screening will provide shelter for the plants (from the wind) while they get established. It also creates habitat for wildlife. Together with the planting it will greatly increase biodiversity.
The intention is that this will become a living project that grows and adapts over the years. An ongoing project, it will require long term maintenance and intervention and provide all kinds of opportunities going forward. On top of the community/environmental benefits it’s also improved a main gateway into the town for all the thousands of people who use this main long-stay car park.
Thank you
To Veolia
In late 2025, Care for Cleveleys applied to Veolia’s Sustainability Fund. The group is delighted to have been awarded a £1000 grant to help with the transformation of the space.
And…
- Wyre Council gardeners for lifting and removing the turf.
- Kevin, John and Richard, plus Jane, Janet, Keith, Liz and Betty for a day of planting. Eight people, each doing 6 hours work = a whopping 48 hours work!
- C4C volunteers for donations of plants.
Could You Help Cleveleys In Bloom?
This new addition to Cleveleys In Bloom is conceived, paid for and delivered by the Care for Cleveleys volunteers. New volunteers are always welcomed, here’s what you could do:
- Come along to the monthly clean ups. Once a month, including litter picking, weeding, cleaning, little maintenance tasks, finishing (of course) with coffee!
- Help with gardening – beds like this one at Derby Road need regular attention. Weeding, dead heading, dibbling.
- Join the maintenance team. An able bodied gang who meet weekly on Thursdays to make, mend and invent!
- Join the watering team. Plenty of volunteers needed seasonally to help with watering the growing collection of tubs and gardens.
- Help with fundraising – all of this needs paying for!
Just come along to any of our public events – dates and details can be found here. Or call into the shop and speak to the volunteers, or send a private message, or email jane@CleveleysTCG.org.uk