It is a glorious time of year for garden visiting, however I fear many of us this afternoon will be staying at home to watch the Wimbledon finals. So I am going to take you around Batteleys Cottage Garden which I very much enjoyed last Sunday when it was open for the National Garden Scheme. … Continue reading Batteleys Cottage; ponds, paths and plenty of places to sit.
Author: thegardengateisopen
The Stuart-Smith trilogy
Thursday 13th June was an exceedingly wet day. This neither deterred nor detracted from a delightful day tour of three gardens in the village of Bedmond in Hertfordshire, owned by various members of the Stuart-Smith family and organised by James Bolton of Border Lines http://border-lines.co.uk/ We began the day at The Barn, Serge Hill, the … Continue reading The Stuart-Smith trilogy
Parham, photography and flowers
A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed a day at Parham House in West Sussex https://www.parhaminsussex.co.uk/plan-your-visit/. Looking at the garden through the lens of a camera I attended a two day course, sadly shortened to one and run by the Artist in residence the celebrated photographer Elizabeth Zeschin https://www.zeschin.com/. Photo taken from Parham House website … Continue reading Parham, photography and flowers
Why run a marathon when you can visit a garden?
Last Sunday the sun came out, the sky was blue, and it was a perfect day for the Halstead Marathon in Essex. No, no don't be silly I wasn't the runner, that was my daughter. I would rather visit a garden any day so I waved her off at the start and nipped off to … Continue reading Why run a marathon when you can visit a garden?
Grapes Hill Community Garden, Norwich.
I just cannot imagine life without access to a garden. According to the Kings Fund Report (May 2016) 87% of households in the UK have a garden and in a typical city, one quarter comprises private gardens which make up half its green space. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publication_file/Gardens_and_health.pdf I am not sure whether Norwich is in the category … Continue reading Grapes Hill Community Garden, Norwich.
Chelsea Physic Garden
I was in London last Friday and being such a glorious day I could not resist a visit. Situated in such an attractive part of London the walk through the streets of Chelsea full of magnolia blossom was a delight in itself. Approaching this haven of four acres surrounded by high walls, I slipped in … Continue reading Chelsea Physic Garden
Frankham Farm
Last weekend we were staying in Lyme Regis and by way of using the National Garden Scheme App, I discovered that Frankham Farm some 18 miles away was open on the Sunday. We drove through the delightful Dorset lanes, narrow with neatly trimmed bare brown hedges and banked with primroses. Situated in the extraordinary sounding … Continue reading Frankham Farm
Snowdrops at East Ruston Old Vicarage
Inspired by the eloquent voice of George Plumptre CEO of the National Garden Scheme announcing the start of the Snowdrop Festival I decided to visit East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden http://www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk who were hosting their own Snowdrop Specialist Growers Day. The owners Graham and Alan warmly welcomed us in the car park directing us to park … Continue reading Snowdrops at East Ruston Old Vicarage
A touch of wintery enthusiasm at St Timothee
On a very dreary, drippy-wet Wednesday last week I attended the first open garden event of the National Garden Scheme's year held in the delightful private garden of St Timothee, just outside Maidenhead. Garden owner Sarah welcomed us with coffee and cake, a particularly delicious slice of Orange and Almond. She then proceeded to give … Continue reading A touch of wintery enthusiasm at St Timothee
The Garden Museum
If you find yourself in London and you simply can't face the noise and swirl of shoppers and traffic then I can recommend a quiet visit to the delightful Garden Museum located south of the river in a church right next door to Lambeth Palace. The Church of St. Mary-at-Lambeth was made redundant in the … Continue reading The Garden Museum
