On 29th Sept 2023 head gardeners, Ellen & Ali attended the South & Southeast in Bloom Awards at RHS Wisley and were awarded a Silver Gilt certificate in the Heritage Park/Garden category, also the category of choice of Osborne and Hilliers and several well-established gardens on the mainland. The gardens at Farringford have only been established within the last six years, so Ellen, Ali and their team were pleased with the award given.
Heritage Park/Garden
- Farringford Estate, Freshwater Bay - Silver Gilt
- Franciscan Gardens, Canterbury - Silver Gilt
- Nonsuch Park, Epsom & Ewell - Silver Gilt
- Penshurst Place and Gardens, Penshurst - Silver Gilt
- Belmont House and Garden, Faversham - Gold
- Denmans Garden, Arundel - Gold
- Hever Castle Gardens, Hever - Gold
- Highdown Gardens, Worthing - Gold
- Osborne, East Cowes - Gold
- Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey - Gold
- Turkey Mill, Maidstone - Gold
- Walmer Castle & Gardens, Walmer - Gold
- Arundel Castle and Gardens, Arundel - Gold & Winner
In June the gardens were visited by the RHS Judge who was received by Ellen. A strict criterion governed the duration of the visit and the areas to be covered. In addition, the planned route had to be submitted prior, with no deviations permitted on the day of the visit.
The formal assessment of the gardens included questions and answers following a strict marking criterion. Although the judge was very thorough his enthusiasm for the garden shone through and he took the opportunity to engage with several visitors asking them what they thought of the garden, including one who happened to be a garden designer, so he was asked his opinion of the design! One visitor, on being asked how they compared the garden at Farringford to others on the Island, readily responded that it was their favourite.
The whole experience has certainly proved to be a learning curve, while also being rewarding for the team to have six years of dedication and hard work formally recognised, as well as being well deserved. Detailed feedback has been forwarded and it is encouraging, if not a little frustrating, to see that we missed Gold by just one point!
The team will take on board the feedback and prepare for 2024.