Nicholson's
annual end-of-summer Open Day took place on Saturday
October 13th 2007.
Despite
grey skies and the threat of rain there was a huge
turnout, with the car park full to the brim and an
estimated 600 visitors making their way between the
nursery aisles.
Having
wisely anticipated such a tremendous attendance, catering
for the occasion was supplied from the lower deck
of a splendid Routemaster double-decker bus, while
refreshments and cakes were on offer in the "Topiary
Tunnel", where guests enjoyed a relaxed cup of
tea surrounded by some fine specimens of box, laurel,
bay and yew.
The
gates remained open from 10:00am through until 2:00pm.
Just after lunch the sun finally broke through, revealing
the full glory of some of the wonderful autumnal colours
and bringing extra warmth to the many terracotta and
stone containers on display.
In
addition to the refreshment area, other attractions
included a conker stall for the younger visitors,
an array of samples from Rodas Designs, a mini-marquee
displaying the wares of North Aston Organics (including
the North Aston Dairy), and Bill Graham's demonstration
of hand-made walking sticks.
Representatives
from the various Nicholson divisions were on hand
to answer questions on forestry and landscaping, with
special areas devoted to hedging and woodland plants,
and copies of the latest Plant Catalogue were available
for collection.
We
have created another series of photographic galleries
to illustrate the day. One is devoted to general views
of the Open Day; a second gallery features photographs
of the Nicholsons staff at work, while the final series
includes images of the plants themselves and close-ups
of colours and textures. Click on the picture links
below to visit the three pages, and once there, click
on any image to view an enlargement.
 |
 |
 |
| Open
Day |
The
Staff |
Plants
& Textures |
The
enlargements will appear as pop-up windows, so please
ensure that your browser permits this. When a picture
window is open, click on the cross in the top right
corner to close the picture, or right-click in the
middle of the image to open the dialogue that allows
you to "save as" to your hard drive.
If
you like these photographs and would like to view
more, then visit the pages dedicated to our previous
Open Day events. Spring
2007 and
October 2006
