Carols Around the Dovecote 2023

Please help us to raise money to support and improve the Gardens.

Any bottles or chocolates as prizes for our tombola stall at the “Carols around the Dovecote” event on 2 December would be most welcome.ings.

Carols Around the Dovecote 2023

All welcome to the Friends of Walkden Gardens annual “Carols Around the Dovecote” event in Walkden Gardens.

Car Park Improvements

Today (26 September 2023) work started on the long-awaited improvements to the Walkden Gardens public car park off Derbyshire Road.

The car park will be closed for several days but pedestrian access to the Gardens will still be available via the small side gate.

“Twelfth Night” – 29 June 2023

What an evening of open air theatre we were treated to on 29 June 2023 – Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on the theatre lawn. So many people enjoyed the performance and the gardens and we were lucky with the weather too. Duke’s Theatre Company loved our Sale audience and reported that we had the best and loudest singers! Thanks so much to everyone who came, to Duke’s Theatre Company and the fantastic cast, to the wonderful volunteers who helped out with stewarding and to Rob Frier from the Friends of Walkden Gardens who organises these events.

Duke’s theatre arrive in van

Duke’s theatre setting up

Duke’s theatre set up 2

View of Audience

Duke’s theatre – Crowd from behind 1

Duke’s theatre cast meal

Yoga in the Gardens

Just one more week until outdoor Yoga classes begin on 20 June 2023 in Walkden Gardens (weather permitting). As usual they will be on Tuesday evenings 6-7 pm, all welcome, just turn up with a mat! These classes are donation based, with a suggestion donation of £5 or pay what you can. At least 50 per cent goes to the Friends of Walkden Gardens group who do such a fantastic job of maintaining and developing the beautiful gardens. If you haven’t been before, do come along this year. Practising Yoga outdoors adds a special dimension to your practise, and the theatre lawn with it’s hedging and mature trees is a perfect setting which allows for privacy too. Please keep your eye on my facebook page which I’ll link below for any cancellations due to weather, or if you aren’t on facebook you can call or text me on 07732 321156.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057131575250

Hope to see you on the mat soon.

Some photos of the Gardens in June 2023 by Sue Hirst.

Japanese Garden

A view of the new Japanese shelter that was built and installed in Walkden Gardens by members of the local Japanese Garden Society who are also Friends of Walkden Gardens. The trees to the right are a group of cornus kousa Chinensis covered in white braces with tiny insignificant flowers in the centre.

Cornus Kousa

This is also a variety of cornus kousa tree in a bed near the wisteria arch.

White Rhododendron

This is a large, late flowering white rhododendron in the area where the pear tree avenue is.

Florida Sunset roses

Florida Sunset roses in the Tranquil Garden which is the last garden on the left at the bottom of the main grass walkway. This rose was launched in memory of Dianne Oxberry and are exclusive to Blue Diamond Group , any purchases include a donation to a charity in her name.

Monkey Puzzle Garden

This shows some of the plants in the beds in the Monkey Puzzle garden. They include nepeta Walkers Low, lavender, sedums, geum Totally Tangerine and a grass called miscanthus sinensis Flamingo.

Fuchsia garden

This is a recent photo taken of the fuchsia garden, the dead box hedge will have to be replaced this is due to being decimated by box tree caterpillars. This will be a large project to remove all the hedges and replant with a suitable alternative. For now the hedges will be left as the fuchsia plants are growing quickly and will soon be in full flower.

Twelfth Night – 29 June 2023

On 29 June 2023, at 7pm, the Duke’s Theatre Company will be presenting “Twelfth Night” in Walkden Gardens.
Tickets from https://www.thedukestheatrecompany.co.uk/event-details/sale-walkden-gardens-7-00pm.

17 JUNE 2023

Discover More of Sale – Saturday 17th June

Join Green Guide Alexa Fairclough, come rain or shine, for a Festival special walking tour of Sale’s open spaces to hear about Sale’s heritage. Start 10am from Walkden Gardens car park, Derbyshire Rd., Sale.

Tickets £10 adult/ £1.00 child (plus online booking fee)

Book Online

Carols Event 2022

“Carols around the Dovecote” event in the Gardens on Saturday 3 December 2022.

RHS Awards 2022

Friends of Walkden Gardens are delighted to announce that the FoWG was awarded a ‘Level 5 – Outstanding’ in the RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards 2022 and received their certificate at the Britain in Bloom North West Awards in Bolton earlier this week. A huge thank you to all the gardening volunteers, event organisers and committee members who keep the gardens thriving and make them such a well -loved part of our community.

Please Vote for Walkden Gardens

Walkden Gardens have been nominated in the Fields in Trust competition to find the favourite parks in the UK.

Please vote for Walkden Gardens

Work Starts on the Dovecote

Contractors for One Trafford have started work to repair and replace a lot of the stonework from around the upper part of the Dovecote. Over the years, this had been damaged by frost and weather.

RHS in Bloom Awards

This year the Friends of Walkden Gardens group was entered for an RHS In Bloom Its Your Neighbourhood award for the first time. The award is judged on horticulture, community and environment. In August some of the committee gave two RHS judges a tour of the gardens telling them all about the Friends.

We are very pleased to say the Friends have been awarded Level 5 Outstanding which is the highest level from the RHS and NW in Bloom. Also Walkden Gardens has received a Highly Commended Award from Britain in Bloom Northwest.

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered and supported the Friends to make Walkden Gardens what it is today.