12.04. 2017

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME

Now here is an event that I look forward to each year and I can’t express how grateful I am to all the private garden owners who are brave enough to open their gardens to the public in order to raise money for charity.  I admire their courage  - firstly, because it must be scary to invite your garden to be trampled by hordes of visitors when you have spent so much time, often years nurturing and working hard on your beloved plot. Secondly, you are exposing your labour of love to unwelcome comments and criticism as there are always people who think it’s appropriate to show their disapproval. Thankfully most visitors are very respectful and grateful to keep their comments for themselves. 

I thoroughly enjoy visiting local gardens nurtured by their owners and have learned many tricks from skilled and very knowledgeable amateur gardeners this way. I’ve also met professional gardeners while visiting grand schemes and private estates gardens via this scheme. Thanks to this scheme, I’ve had the privilege to visit gardens designed by Christopher Bradley Hole, Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart Smith, all heroes of mine.

So I encourage you to check this link out list of gardens open to the public over the next few weekends.