As this was formerly a September event, I feel justified in covering it, as it moved forwards a week, to Sat 29th August.
At the end of the driest of seasons, we wondered what to expect when it came to entries. Marrows, beetroots, onions, runner beans – would any have even survived to be entered (although, remarkably, despite the ridiculous temperatures, tomatoes had thrived!). And what of the flowers, wilting in people’s gardens and conservatories – surely, there wouldn’t be any spectacular entries as in previous years. It wasn’t an encouraging prospect.
The day began overcast – a bit of a blessing, really and gradually, during the morning, entries appeared – veg, flowers, right through cakes and bakes and the handicrafts section, to the delightful Children’s section, full of young inspiration
MC Teas prepared for its usual rush, the judges had judged and we were all able to enjoy a wide variety of stalls, even pick up a freshly-made Pimm’s. At the end of the prizegiving, there’s always an auction of entries from the show,
run every year by Andy Jackson, it’s always a bit of a gamble as the crowds tend to disperse directly after the prizegiving, never to be see again but…
…on this occasion, the weather worked magnificently in our favour since just as the prizegiving finished, the heavens quite literally opened and most of our visitors were literally ‘trapped’ inside the marquee – along with the auction!
It wasn’t a surprise to learn later the amount raised by the auction alone, was record- breaking!
September Garden Highlights:
What a difference some rain makes! It’s always a surprise to see the lawns greening up after an exceptionally dry spell; grasses are very resilient. Visitors will notice some areas of bare soil; these patches are being prepared for reseeding now that wet weather has arrived at last. We would appreciate your cooperation by keeping off these sections until the grass re-establishes. Thank you.
The old gravel paths leading into the Garden have now been upgraded with a resin-coated surface, which holds the gravel in place but is still porous so that excess water drains away. We are delighted with the finish for its aesthetic look and the improved accessibility. For the record, the grade of gravel we selected is ‘creme brulee’! Never have you been led up a sweeter garden path!
Annual bedding plants are just about over now and some perennials have faded early due to the prolonged heat and dry conditions. However, there is still plenty of colour in the herbaceous borders, especially salvias, penstemons, Gaura, Perovskia, Verbena bonariensis, asters, heleniums and Mirabilis jalapa. It’s the perfect time to take stock of what has performed well this season. We will certainly use more of these perennials in the future and phase out annuals.
Plums, damsons and gages have performed well this year but apple crops less so. It’s doubtful we will have enough good apples for juicing this year unless we can source them elsewhere. If you have surplus apples, please consider donating them to the Challis Garden for juicing. TIA.
Mike Redshaw