Spring Spectacular celebrates another successful year

Nine private gardens, along with Miss Traill’s House, were opened to the public on Saturday and Sunday all in the name of charity. 

Each year, the Spring Spectacular is able to raise around $20,000 to be distributed between local organisations. 

Bathurst Gardeners’ Club president Karen Granger said the numbers were looking good on Saturday, with many gardens seeing between 350 and 400 people through on the one day. 

By midday Sunday, both ‘Benning’ and ‘Wanera’ had seen more than 150 people through the gardens. 

Owner of ‘Wanera’, Tony Keech, said some people asked a lot of questions about the various plants in his garden when they toured the space. 

They were often intrigued by plants they hadn’t seen before, with the tulip tree getting a lot of attention.

Mr Keech said people seemed to really like the garden he and his wife, Joan, had grown. 

“Anyone who has made a comment [on the garden], it has been positive,” he said.

The Spring Spectacular was presented a little differently this year than in previous years, with an emphasis placed on gardens outside of the city itself. 

Ms Granger said the addition of two loops of three gardens each out towards Newbridge and Locksley had been well received by patrons. 

“A few of the garden owners have mentioned that people are enjoying the tranquility and simplicity of the country gardens,” she said.  

Another change to this year’s event was setting Miss Traill’s House up as a market. 

Ms Granger said it had been very popular and was something the Bathurst Gardeners’ Club would consider expanding in the future. 

“I think it will grow in coming years and we can have more stalls going out into the paddock,” she said. 

Ms Granger would like to thank all the people who visited the gardens, volunteered and sponsored the Spring Spectacular. 

She also extended her thanks to the garden owners, who have put a year’s worth of work into their gardens to get them ready. 

“I know myself, having been in it before, that a lot of work goes into it and it is a lot having people come through your garden all weekend,” she said.