This August Bank Holiday sees a new event in the Dorset calendar; a Flower Festival which will be held at Abbey Farm Abbotsbury where From My Mother’s Garden has its HQ. It takes place between 26-28 August 2023.
Penny conceived the idea because many of the businesses at Abbey Farm and in the village share a common theme that in one way or another they are inspired by nature and flowers, so it seemed like a natural event to host at the new destination in Abbotsbury.
The Flower Festival will be a fun event which will have some 30 Makers from Dorset, Somerset and Devon all showing their products that are inspired by nature.
In addition, there will be an Events Marquee which will host a number of talks and be the start point for some of the Walks. There is also a range of workshops and demos in the different studios around Abbey Farm. You can see the schedule of events here: https://abbeyfarmabbotsbury.co.uk/flower-festival-schedule-21-28th-august/
Examples of some of the talks, walks and workshops include:
* Talk: History of Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens by the 13th Curator, David Pearce
* Talk: Tips, Tricks & Life as a Florist by Fiona Penny of Sunflowers, Weymouth
* Talk & Demo: Tea Tasting with Medical Herbalist and Author, Mary Tassell
* Talk: Myth Busting the Wild Garden by Amy Ralph, Abbey Farm Flowers
* Walk: Herb & Berry Walk with herbalist Sarah Hillyer
* Talk: The History and Management of Abbotsbury Swannery
* A Bouquet of Words Writing Walk with poet and artist Kim Squirrell, Ink & Page, Bridport
Visitors to the Festival are being encouraged to dress up in floral clothes very in a simple way or something more flamboyant! There will be an award for the most creative outfit and visitors can go and have their photos taken in the Photo Tent and register their details to stand a chance to win a prize of an Abbey Farm Hamper of vouchers and gifts.
A few of the team, including Penny, creator of From My Mother’s Garden, had a bit of fun dressing up in the fabulous Honnor & Queens flower headpieces along with some of the From My Mother’s Garden long robes and scarves.
