Late bursts of colour
Three award-winning gardeners are this weekend showing off their late-summer bursts of bloom.
Two of the gardens are opening under the National Gardens Scheme, the other to raise cash for three charities, including the Find Madeleine Fund.
Highly respected gardener and flower-arranging expert Ann Hackett opens her garden – a past winner of the West Midlands Gardener of the Year title – in Darges Lane, Great Wyrley, this evening.
And Bob Parker, a former art teacher, also opens his garden in Broad Lane, Bradmore, Wolverhampton, this evening for a night of 1,000 candles.
Then tomorrow, Roy Dudfield, who won the Garden News competition four years ago, opens his garden, in Elizabeth Walk, Wednesbury Oak, Tipton, to raise money for the campaign to search for Madeleine McCann. The three events offer enthusiasts the chance to see just how much can be packed into smallish back gardens.
Ann Hackett is a renowned expert at creating a full garden. "I think that the garden is looking quite attractive after a dreadful year of strange weather," she said.
Bob Parker's clever creation, which made the finals of the Daily Mail gardening competition last year, is as colourful and fascinating as ever.
Tomorrow, Roy Dudfield opens his garden tomorrow for a spectacular finale. "It is going to be my last time after eight years of opening for various charities, and I am very pleased that the recent sunshine has really brought out the colour at last," he said.
