The festival opens this weekend, with four days packed with flowers and entertainment on September 9, 10, 16 and 17. 

Among the attractions will be the Canobolas Pipe Band, the Heathen’s Choir, the Lithgow Orchestra, the Perthvillians Folk Group, The Scots School Pipe Band, Sounds Live Choir, Lithgow Living History Group, a bird display of Pakistani and Budapest Highflyers, Belinda and Bill Folk Music, the Lithgow Valley Bell Choir and Absolute Dance Studios. 

With entertainments galore, the main attraction, as always, will be the flowers. A bus will be available to transport people to and from the featured gardens this year. 

Ms Lewis only moved into Rydal’s old police station on November 30 last year, but she quickly found herself drawn into the active social groups in the village. 

She became part of the women’s group which creates care bags for women fleeing domestic violence and nominated to become one of the stops on the Daffodils at Rydal open gardens program. 

The garden has required quite a bit of work, pruning back and removing some root-bound sections, and the large area is a big change from her Sydney unit block. 

“Part of the reason to move here was to have a garden to play in,” she said. 

“I wanted to retire, but I still wanted lots to do. It’s been a huge amount of work. I have a big list as long as both of my arms what I would like to do next in the garden.”

The side of the house will be a summer meadow, with a decorative rock feature, gorgeous roses and lots of poppies. 

As part of her changes to the garden, Ms Lewis has established a large chook shed, which has reused some panels from the old maternity ward at Lithgow hospital in its construction. 

"That seems quite appropriate,” she said. 

Ms Lewis will also be working to freshen up the verandah area of the home, which could date back as early as 1861, and will host the Belinda and Bill Folk Music performance on September 16. 

Since 2002, the Rydal Village Association has donation more than $164,000 to charities in the Lithgow district. 

This year, the Daffodils at Rydal festival supports the Three Tree Lodge and Women and Children Crisis Centre, Lithgow. For a full brochure, visit www.rydal.com.au.