Gregynog Hall launches garden festival

01/06/2011 @ 03:25

A new garden festival launches this weekend at the historic Gregynog Hall at Tregynon, near Newtown.

The festival, to be held between 10am and 4pm, will be packed with family activities, including a duck herding demonstration by Meirion Owen's Quack Pack and a falconry display by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Layla Bennett from Hawksdrift.

There will also be around 35 stalls selling plants and garden related items and local crafts and food. Berriew blacksmith William O’Brien, who has made an impressive eight foot high steel rose arbour for the croquet lawn at Gregynog Hall, will also give demonstrations of his work.

The event will also see the official opening of a new bee observation hide at Gregynog’s apiary. The hide is a joint venture between Welsh Oak Frame, Caersws, Gregynog Hall and Montgomeryshire Beekeepers Association (MBKA), who will have a marquee filled with bee themed stalls

Welsh Oak Frame has made the hide in memory of managing director Paul Edmunds’ late father, Dennis, who was a member of MBKA.

Entertainment will be provided by a male voice choir and also present during the day will be Montgomeryshire Forest School and Bechan Woodland Group.

In addition, head chef Heiko Simmchen will be launching Gregynog ice cream, which includes chocolate, raspberry, mango, vanilla and apple and champagne sorbet flavours.

There will also be stalls inside the famous Music Room highlighting the history of at Gregynog’s gardens and the Courtyard Café will be open all day supported by a bar and other catering outlets.

Gregynog Hall director Karen Armstrong said the festival will provide an ideal opportunity for visitors to see all the winter planting work in the gardens.

Apart from planting 20,000 bulbs, Gregynog’s gardeners have also created beds for 400 roses in the recesses of the yew hedge and restored a rosebed on the croquet lawn.

“The festival is designed to celebrate not only the improvements that we have made to our Grade I listed gardens, but also the quality and variety of local crafts and food,” said Miss Armstrong. “We feel there is a gap in the market in this area for a festival of this kind and hope that the public turn out in force on the day.”

To support the upkeep of Gregynog, visitors are charged £3 admission to the formal gardens. An annual membership scheme costs £15 per individual and £25 for a family.

To obtain more information contact Gregynog on Tel: 01686 650224 or check the website at www.gregynog.wales.ac.uk for updates.