StrathPetal garden owner John Wombell surveying some of the damage in his garden ahead of Strathpeffer’s open garden event on 16 and 17 August.
GARDENERS in Strathpeffer are desperately trying to clean up the havoc that Storm Floris dealt their gardens on Monday – ahead of their well-publicised open garden event next weekend (August 16 and 17).
Scything through trees, the strong winds cut off power supplies and mobile phone signals and dealt a blow to veg patches and flower borders being prepared for StrathPetal, a charity event that will see 20 private gardens in the village open to the public.
“While the weather is always unpredictable, we hadn’t factored in the possibility of a storm of this magnitude in August,” explained StrathPetal team member Alison Munro-White. “However gardeners are nothing if not resilient. Everyone is hard at it to set things straight, and it won’t affect the warmth of the welcome our visitors get, or the interesting garden lay-outs, live music, raffle and refreshments.”
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Electricity operators SSEN have called it ‘the most damaging summer storm in recent memory’, and although many gardeners put in extra supports, the ferocity of the wind saw off many a stately sunflower.
“It’s just life” said StrathPetal garden owner John Wombell. “StrathPetal visitors will no doubt have their own ‘Storm Floris’ stories to tell, so it will be a shared experience. Garden visitors tend to be very practical, interesting people, and we are looking forward very much to welcoming them, and to raising money for Alzheimer Scotland and local environmental projects.”
Strathpeffer’s gardens will be open on 16 and 17 August 11 – 4pm. Tickets can be bought on the day at the village square or the old station. More information at www.strathpetal.co.uk
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