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2010 Open Gardens

Currently planned to hold the 2010 Open Gardens on Sunday 20th June.  Watch this space for more details.

2009 Open Gardens

2008 Open Gardens
Click here to see slide show

Everyone will agree that this year’s event has been a great success. The weather was a welcome improvement on last year. This year 17 gardens were open. The Horticultural Society appreciates all the hard work involved in preparing your gardens and tidying up afterwards, in addition to the time taken on the day; so a very big thank you to all who opened their gardens. Also well done Dot; the day ran smoothly, as always. This is one of those great days in the year, like Wakes, when one is so glad to be part of such a marvelous community.

As always there was nothing but praise for the gardens and for Parwich. Thank you to everyone who helped with the organisation. The cream teas, with scones and jam donated by villagers, as always was much enjoyed by all. The milk and cream was supplied by Bostern Grange Farm. Freda and Sheila provided the flower arrangements that decorated the tea tables, and which make the hall so welcoming.

Thank you to Pat for organising the teas, and to all the volunteers who gave up their time to serve and wash-up.

Special thanks to Ashbourne Band for enlivening the Green during the afternoon.

The Tombola and the plant plants stall were a great successwith takings well up on last year. Thank you to all who donated plants (including Tissington and Wyaston Nurseries) and the Tombola prizes, and thank you to all who helped staff the stalls.

After expenses we hope to have made around £800 on the day. The money will be used to pay for the Children’s Horticultural Show and to underwrite the Main Flower and Vegetable Show in September. (Children don’t forget you can enter the geraniums again in the September Show.) With last year’s money we helped sponsor a film showing in the village, to support Stepping Stones (the local pre-school group) and contribute towards Parwich Primary School’s trip to the Gardens at Chatsworth. We will make decisions about what to support for this year’s money at the Horticultural Society’s AGM in November. Do come along to the meeting or let the Committee know if you have any ideas.

This year there were some seven entries to the Scarecrow Competition. For those that did not get to see the entries, have a look at the earlier post. The first prize going to Parwich Under 5’s, also netting them the McCormick Trophy, for a splendid group of children playing under the supervision of a frighteningly realistic lady scarecrow. Second prize went to the Dickinson family, and third prize to Barbara E. Well done to all entries and thank you to Irene and Sandra for hot footing it around the village to undertake the difficult task of judging.

This year (2008) the Open Gardens will be in the afternoon of Sunday 22nd of June.  As usual we will have an open Scarecrow Competition on the same day.

Sneak preview of Pool Croft garden summer 2008
Click on this link for more Parwich 2008 garden photos

2007 Open Gardens

We were all optimistic about the weather, right up to the last minute. For the last eleven years we have had excellent weather, if anything some years it has been to hot, and, in the couple of years there was rain, it conveniently stopped in time. However our luck could not last for ever. This year some seventeen gardens were open: Parwich Hall, Flaxdale House, Brook Cottage, Creamery Cottage, Cosheston, Orchard Farm, Gardeners Cottage, Townhead, Walnut Cottage, Stable Cottage, Church Cottage, Wheatsheaf Cottage, Knob Hall and the Fold; and for the first time this year Wash Meadow, School View and Parwich Primary School. Thank you to all who opened their gardens.

Despite the almost incessant rain the day was a great success. Nearly 200 hundred people visited the gardens, which given the weather was remarkable. Although this is less than recent years, it is heartening that people were keen to come from as far as Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. As always there was nothing but praise for the gardens and for Parwich. Thank you to everyone who opened their gardens and who helped with the organisation. The cream teas, with scones and jam donated by villagers, as always was much enjoyed by all. The milk and cream was supplied by Bostern Grange Farm. Freda and Sheila Kinder provided the flower arrangements that decorated the tea tables, and which make the hall so welcoming. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time to serve and wash-up. The Tombola and the plant plants stall were a bit slower than usual, but both were sold out by the end of the day with takings about the same as last year. Thank you to all who donated plants (including Tissington Nursery) and prizes, and thank you to all who helped staff the stalls.

After expenses we expect to make around five hundred pounds on the day. The money will be used to underwrite the Children’s Horticultural Show and the Main Flower and Vegetable Show in September. With last year’s money we help sponsor the Memorial Hall’s successful funding bid for digital projector equipment for the film showings and are to pay for Parwich Primary School’s trip to Sheffield Botanical Gardens in September. We also plan to buy more plants for the boarder at the Jubilee Garden at Nether Green and support other small projects. We will make decisions about what to support for this year’s money at the Horticultural Society’s AGM in November.

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