insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 17 - July 2016 | Page 3

Photography by Elizabeth Zeschin © Parham Park Limited Taking place over the weekend of Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th July 2016, Parham House & Gardens is celebrating the 23rd year of its popular annual Garden Weekend, opened by Parham’s chatelaine Lady Emma Barnard and Head Gardener, Tom Brown. The event is open from 10:30am – 5:00pm on both days. Fast-track admission can be purchased in advance offering a saving of 10% from the standard admission prices. Prices include Event, House & Gardens. The Garden Weekend is Parham’s flagship event, showcasing high-quality specialist nurseries. It is also one of the best garden weekends in the South East of England for viewing and buying really top quality plants. The event takes place in the Pleasure Grounds adjacent to Parham’s award-winning gardens, which will be open throughout the event. Explore the Pleasure Grounds and a four-acre Walled Garden, which includes stunning herbaceous borders, a glasshouse, vegetable garden, orchard and a 1920s Wendy House. The garden team, led by Head Gardener Tom Brown, grow and sell over 200 herbaceous perennial plants, as found in Parham’s famous borders. The Parham Plant and Garden Shop will also be open throughout the event, where the experienced Parham team will also be onhand to answer your gardening questions. The House will also be open on both days. Visitors are invited to enjoy the rare and precious collections of paintings, furniture, needlework, antiquities and delight in the fresh flower arrangements in every room. Alicia Pearson (Lady Emma’s greatgrandmother) insisted that flowers from the Garden should be displayed in this way, and this is a tradition Parham continues to this day. The flowers are arranged in what can only be described as “Parham-style”, where weeds, bolted herbs or anything that looks good is used, co-ordinating the colours to the objects in each room. This brings the Garden into the House, and it brings Parham alive! There will also be a Flower Festival in St Peter’s Church, located just to the south of the house. A jazz duo, the Arundel and Littlehampton District Scout Band, the Davison’s Worthing Youth Concert Band and the Broadwood Morris Men will all At 2pm on both days, join Head Gardener, Tom Brown, for an informal talk in the garden “Success with Sweet Peas” be performing during the weekend. The Silver Stag Scouts offer a Plant Crèche facility and can help visitors to their car with their purchases. A mouth-watering selection of light lunches, afternoon teas and cakes will be available at several outlets including the Tudor Big Kitchen, the Old Mower House and the catering tent in the Pleasure Grounds. Produce from the Garden is used whenever possible. Tickets to the event can be booked in advance on the Parham website, where a 10% discount is offered as well as fast track entry. Please book via www.parhaminsussex.co.uk or contact 01903 742021 [email protected]. Parham Park Limited is a registered charity, No. 276673