Picture preview: Spectacular flower displays to go on show at historic Parham House and Gardens

There will be a spectacular display of floral arrangements during ‘Autumn Flowers at Parham’ – a two week event from September 27 until October 8.

The house will be ‘filled to the brim’ with displays of produce and beautiful flower arrangements – all grown at Parham’s own gardens.

Head gardener Andrew Humphris said: “We have such a good array of flowers we want to show them off at their best.”

He said the Parham garden team were often asked if they grew everything on show. “We’re sometimes quite amazed ourselves,” he said, “but we literally don’t buy anything. It’s all grown here.”

Gardeners Gemma Greener and Julie Moase are heading the Flowers at Parham event. “They are the two that do all the growing and the picking,” said Andrew. A team of flower arrangers create the floral arrangements that will be on display throughout the house during the two-week event.

Among the colourful flowers that will make up the arrangements are dahlias, cosmos, alstroemerias, achilleas and grasses. “We just hope now that we don’t get a sharp frost at the end of the month,” said Andrew.

Also in Andrew’s team caring for Parham’s acres of gardens are Pete Keefe and Rachel Kerr. As well as a cut flower garden, the grounds include an orchard, a nuttery – with different types of hazel – vegetable garden, glass house, and borders with a range of herbaceous shrubs, perennials and annuals.

Parham House and Gardens – home to Lady Emma Barnard and her family – is situated on the A283 between Storrington and Pulborough. The gardens are open from 12 noon to 5pm and the house from 2pm-5pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays until October 8.