Some of the region’s finest gardens will be opening to the public in June for the National Gardens Festival Weekend. Taking place 6 and 7 June, it’s a chance to see a variety of gardens and take home some inspiration for your own.
Participating gardens include:
20 Steeple View, March: well stocked borders, pond, bridge and elegant pergola. Champion of Champion winners in March garden competition. Open 10am-4pm, £3 entry.
Main Road, Parson Drove, Wisbech: a walled Georgian cottage garden of one acre opening into a wildflower meadow. Ponds, herbaceous border and unusual weeping ash. Open 11am-4pm, £3.50.
Chequer Cottage, Wisbech: an interesting garden with unusual trees and perennials. Art studio open and art work for sale. Open 12-5pm, £3.50.
Farm Cottage, Barton: a landscaped cottage garden with herbaceous beds and woodland walk, and 31 New Road, Barton: a wildlife friendly cottage garden. These are open 2-5pm, £5 (tea served in Barton Village Hall).
Rosewell House, Ely: a lovely garden with herbaceous planting, meadow and a fine view of the cathedral. Exhibition of ‘Rhobile’ moving sculptures by local artist Andrew Jones. Entry £5, 2-6pm, tea served.
TV presenter, gardener and NGS President Joe Swift says: ‘One of the great things about the National Gardens Scheme is the sheer diversity of its gardens. Big or small, formal or informal, modern or traditional – there’s a garden to suit absolutely all tastes. So whether you’re a seasoned garden visitor or a first time supporter, I urge you to stop by a couple of gardens over the Festival Weekend and join in the celebration of the great variety of gardens.’
Visitors to NGS gardens will also have the great satisfaction of knowing that their entrance fee is supporting wonderful causes. The National Gardens Scheme currently donates around £2.5 million every year to its nursing and caring beneficiary charities, meaning that it is one of the most significant charitable funders of this sector in the UK.
George Plumptre, chief executive of the National Gardens Scheme, says: “Looking round an interesting garden has to be one of the most enjoyable ways of raising money for charity, and every year thousands of people do just that. Last year’s Festival Weekend raised around a quarter of a million pounds for our beneficiary charities, and we are very much hoping to raise even more this year.’
To find details of Festival gardens opening near you, visit the NGS website.
