Guernsey Nerine Festival

Held annually in October, in the Lower Glasshouse, Candie Gardens
2010 Festival Dates - October 9^th - 23^rd

Each year, the Guernsey group of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens organise a display of nerines in a restored Victorian glasshouse, in Candie Gardens. The display effectively re-creates a scene depicted nearly a century ago by the artist W.J.Caparne, in his watercolour 'A House of Nerines'. The painting is in the collections of Guernsey Museum.

Nerines have a special significance for Guernsey, with the variety Nerine sarniensis being named for the island and popularly referred to as the 'Guernsey Lily'. How this link was made and how the first plants came to the island is a matter of some debate but theories range from the result of a shipwreck, to introduction by a political prisoner during the Civil War. The result has been a special affection for the nerine and members of the local NCCPG group maintain a significant collection of cultivars and hybrids which they bring together for the annual Nerine Festival showing.

The festival greenhouse will be manned by NCCPG members at the weekends, who will be pleased to answer queries; some nerine plants will also be on sale.

	House of Nerines Watercolour by W.J. Caparne
	Guernsey Nerine Festival 2009 Photo taken 10.10.2009 - at the opening of the 10th annual Guernsey Festival.
	Nerine hybrid 'Lady Foley'

The Royal Horticultural Society, (with which the NCCPG is closely associated) had its bicentenary in 2004 and Guernsey Museum helped them to celebrate, by participating in a joint exhibition, shown in Guernsey, 31st March - 2nd May 2004. The exhibition featured over a hundred watercolours by the artist and horticulturalist W.J.Caparne, drawn from the collections of the museum and the RHS' Lindley library.

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