This year, 2024 we entered Wight in Bloom which we have supported since the gardens at Farringford opened in 2018. This Island wide competition encourages all residents and businesses to work together to make the Island the ‘garden isle’. Our garden is newly established, but this year was in full ‘bloom’ and looking colourful and well stocked on judging day, despite the cold damp weather early in the season.
The judges arrive unannounced and at the end of their visit leave a ‘calling card’, so our garden presented as our visitors would have experienced it on any day of opening. This year we felt confident that the garden was looking better than ever, however, there were lots of beautiful and cleverly designed gardens in all the categories with great pictures of those that won their sections, so were very pleased to be awarded the best ‘Small Attraction’ category, which included the RLNI welly planter and unique certificate.
This year we were highly honoured to be awarded the overall winners’ trophy ‘The Peggy Jarman Trophy’, a beautiful Vase. Our head gardener, Ellen and her team were overjoyed with the judges’ comments, after nurturing the garden on what 8 years prior was the site of 18 holiday bungalows:
"This garden has done amazing things over the years. They are huge advocates of Wight in Bloom and all things gardening. The garden is sympathetic to the history of the site and makes a nod to the writer that lived here. The garden has a huge range of plants and the way the colour is spread across the garden was inspiring.
The Wight in Bloom (overall) winner would need to be stunning, immaculate, Innovative with a good range of suitable plants and have a significant "WOW" factor. This garden had all of the above and planting that is resilient and gardeners that are learning each year. Very well done."
Ellen received a beautiful bouquet provided by the local Carisbrooke Flower Company, and the unique recycled certificate awarded to the winner.
We are very proud to have won in this category and we do hope that as a result more people will come and enjoy our ‘careless ordered garden’
Wight in Bloom is a very positive annual event, and we encourage those of you who love gardening to get involved. For more details visit Wight in Bloom and Visit Isle of Wight – let’s get planning our gardens for 2025!
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