Friday and Saturday 4 and 5, there will be nine gardens open to the public from 10am.  

Registration is at Forbes North School Vegie Garden from 9.30am, with wrist band cost of $15 to visit all gardens. 

Alternatively if you only wish to see a couple, cost will be $5 per garden.

Best value is of course $15 to visit all with the added advantage of using the wrist band for Saturday and Sunday.

Wrist bands will be available at Forbes North School Vegie Garden on the corner of Thompson and York Streets, where morning tea by the school P and C will be available for purchase. 

When registering for wrist bands, a flyer list and map will be given out.

They will also be available at the lunch time venue at Kingsley and Helen Green’s , ‘Brooklyn’, Victory’s Road, off the Wirrinya Road.  

Rotary will be in charge of the lunch.

Forbes Horticultural Society and Garden Club Inc. invite the community to view the gardens so generously shared with you by the community owners.

Our club is indebted to our community gardeners sharing their gardens for the benefit of many charities/organisations of their choice.

All who benefit are worthy, so your attendance will make the 2014 Forbes Open Gardens another success.

Garden visitors are asked to adhere to garden etiquette – do not take any part of a plant but ask for name clarifications, respect owners privacy, and check with the owner before taking photos.

A suggested route is provided below, where signs/balloons will mark the garden’s exact location on each street/road.

The gardens...

1. Registration- only open at 9.30am. Forbes North School Vegie Garden, Thompson/York Street – P&C Catering for Morning Tea (at own cost)

From Newell Highway (near park, Police Station, Shell Petrol), continue north with left to  Spring Street, right to Lachlan Street, left to Johnson Street, follow road to five ways, straight through onto Bogan Gate Road, then turn right into York Street, garden on right. 2013 Royal Horticultural Medal winner, have great pride in their Stephanie Alexander Kitchen.

2. Maureen and Graeme Miller, 124 Calarie Road, Forbes -  JRV Ladies Auxiliary

From York Street, turn right to Patterson Street, cross Farnell Street, then turn left into Calarie Road, past High School, through round about garden on left. Garden has had many changes, four years growth shows great maturity. Roses, annuals, perennials, shrubs/trees. 

3. Sharen Schaefer and Shane Roberts, Cnr Edward/Bedgerabong Road – Can Assist

Return to Forbes North School, then continue on York Street, turning right onto the Bogan Gate Road, past cemetery on left, left to Edward Street, follow to T intersection. Very keen gardeners. Christmas lights for charity were  delightful.

4. Kerry and Duncan Sharpe, South Lead Road – Kids Cancer Project (Research)

Return to Forbes on the Bedgerabong Road, past IGA, through roundabout, turn right onto Newell Highway, over Lake Forbes Oxley Bridge, past Motor Museum, over Fitzgeralds (Murder Bridge), Take first left onto Wirrinya Road, take next left to South Lead Road, house just after sweeping bend. A semi rural setting.

5. LUNCH – 11.45am-2pm – catered by Rotary (at own cost) at Kingsley and Helen Green, ‘Brooklyn’, Victorys Road, Forbes - Rotary

Return on South Lead Road, turn left onto Wirrinya Road, follow 4kms, turn right onto Victorys Road going past the first ‘Brooklyn’ gate, follow to T intersection, turn left to second ‘Brooklyn’ gate. New sculptures and natives.

6. Rosie and Gary Johnston, ‘Walla Wallah’ , 1278 Lachlan Valley Way, South Condobolin Road, Forbes - Sculpture Down the Lachlan

From ‘Brooklyn’ return via Wirrinya Road to Newell Highway, turning left, continue 3 kms, Turning right to the Lachlan Valley Way (South Condobolin Road), travel approx. 12kms, ‘Walla Wallah’ on right. A rural garden. 

7. Virginia and Charles Wilson, ‘Droubalgie’, Orange Road, Forbes – Amnesty

From Johnston’s return to Forbes (Police Station/Shell Service Station, Victoria Park) on Newell Highway, turn right to Camp Street, through roundabout (becomes Orange Road), travel 7 kms, ‘Droubalgie’ on right. A heritage English styled garden featuring ‘welcome palms’ to mark homestead position.

8. Father Peter King, 3 Wambat/Cnr Bandon  Street (side entrance) – Endowment of the See Support Fund

From ‘Droubalgie’, return to roundabout turning left (Flint Street), first turn right to Bandon Street, crossing Hill, Church, Clement, William, then Wambat, white home on corner . Home built in 1913.

Owner has built on the original garden, maintained by himself. His love of roses shown by vast numbers, bulbs grown below. Back garden has been enlarged. Father Peter has a great love for his garden. 

9. Jenny and Glen Egan, 109 Wambat Street, Forbes – Kids Cancer Project (Research)

Continue on Wambat Street, (through roundabout) across Oxford, Regent, Berkley, Bathurst, Koala Place, garden on right. Great lawned area, featuring trees, shrubs, box hedges, pelargoniums, perennials.