reviews of British gardens and nurseries, large and small.
Situated in the shadow of the Malvern Hills, the Old Court Nurseries and Picton Garden are a family-run treasure that have evolved over three generations. Established in 1906 by Ernest Ballard, an early breeder of Asters, the garden was taken over by Percy Picton in 1947 who managed the garden for nearly ten years before... Continue Reading →
Bridge Nursery in Napton, Warwickshire is one of those places that is frequently advertised as being open under the National Gardens Scheme and yet I never seem to have managed to visit! Until now, that is, and I am so glad that I finally made the trip. Napton is derived from the old English cnaepp meaning 'hilltop'... Continue Reading →
If you happen to live in Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire you may possibly have heard of Wappenham, but I would like to bet that not many people know of this village's existence. It's a tiny village - sadly no pub or shop but what it does have is a number of jolly nice gardens. We were... Continue Reading →
Thousands of crocus tommasinianus are the main reason for a February garden visit to Little Court garden in the pretty village of Crawley near Winchester in Hampshire. Owner Patricia Elkington has been opening in aid of the National Garden Scheme since 1984 and this year she will be generously welcoming visitors from February to June.... Continue Reading →
Woolton House Garden is the only garden in the UK designed by the late Pascal Cribier whose designs were influenced by botanical & Mughal gardens. The walled part of the garden at Woolton House was commissioned in 2004 and is designed to reflect the style of Mondrian paintings. Cribier's best known work is the restoration of... Continue Reading →
The Old Rectory, Bletchingly is the sort of NGS garden that everyone hopes to stumble across. The property comprises a handsome honeyed stone Georgian house set amidst country meadows and it is hard to believe that the busy M23 and Gatwick airport are a mere stone's throw away. Approached via a narrow tree-lined lane,... Continue Reading →
Beyond Guildford, at the outermost edges of leafy Surrey lie the winding narrow lanes that lead to Vann, a 16th Century house sitting comfortably within its 5 acres of garden which are opened regularly for the National Gardens Scheme. Dating back to the 16th Century, the expansive house has an Arts and Crafts flavour... Continue Reading →
" The NGS is responsible for making garden visiting a national pastime" announced George Plumptre, executive director of The National Garden Scheme as he introduced the annual lecture at the Royal Geographical Society, London where a packed hall waited in anticipation of the evening's speakers. In his introduction, Plumptre revealed that when the NGS first... Continue Reading →
The wonderful biennial Burford festival is a feast for the senses and runs for a surprising 10 days, inncorporating amongst other things talks and lectures, music, literature, film and of course gardens. Over the opening weekend of this year's festival, 25 private gardens were opened to the public, offering a glimpse through the garden gate... Continue Reading →
The NGS celebrated their 90th birthday over the May bank holiday weekend and finding myself in Northamptonshire I was delighted to be able to visit two gardens open under the scheme. The first, Jericho was a Jekyll inspired town garden in the centre of Oundle whilst in complete contrast, the expansive grounds of Titchmarsh House... Continue Reading →
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