A yellow sign declaring "Garden Open" is what gardening enthusiasts in
the UK look out for on a Sunday afternoon (and less numerously, on a
Wednesday). It points the way to a garden open under the National
Gardens Scheme, an organisation which has been operating now for over
80 years, listing all the gardens participating each week in the ubiquitous
"Yellow Book", which comes out at the beginning of the year.
You have to be a special garden to get into the book - there have been a
couple of series of programmes on TV, called "Open Garden", showing just
what sort of an ordeal owners have to sometimes go through to be
accepted into the Scheme - the County Organisers, who come to inspect,
seem to be uniformly terrifying!
They require "at least 45 minutes worth of interest", for which one pays a
small fee (it was £3.00 UK pounds this afternoon) - with most of the
entrance fee going to charity - often split between local good causes and
"national nursing, caring and gardening charities." (Often the wonderfully
practical Macmillan Cancer Care) - and for that, you get to see the garden,
buy often very unusual plants - and of course, in the best traditions of
British visiting, you get the chance of a piece of home-made cake and a
Nice Cup of Tea!
For those who are accepted - and the gardens range from tiny cottage
gardens to grand country houses - it is an achievement which other
gardeners recognise as being of particular merit. If you have managed to
banish every last weed and have all your flowers on glorious display with
not a petal out of place, if your garden finally gets to be in "The Yellow
Book" then you have made it - and can bask in the glory for ever more!
Today's garden - Sandleford Place, just five minutes from Autumn Cottage, was of the Country House variety - so come for a wander around with me, and see how lovely June in England was today.
Discover more about the NGS here
The herbaceous border - I love the yellow-gold spirea with the blue hardy geraniums
Pink and white paeonies
The foxglove border leading to the vegetable garden
Looks like a newly laid out veg garden, with box edging and a beautiful new greenhouse
Potting corner heaven in the greenhouse (a little larger - ahem - than my own beloved potting shed!)
Follow me, through this mysterious doorway!
Choice treasures (and one or two choice prices!)
More plants for sale, arranged around the "sprinkling tree" water feature
Another important doorway - leading to the TEAS!
"Lollipop" pruned box and the bird table
Dramatic cloudscape keeping everyone guessing - will it rain or not?
A last look at the rose border
Rosa Gallica Versicolor the Rosa Mundi - thanks to Brigitte for pointing out my error! (amended 21 June 08)
Oh, that was lovely! I enjoyed the visit.
Posted by: Imelda / GreenishLady | Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 22:35
Thanks for showing us round. What a beautiful garden and house!
By the way, this beautiful rose which I'm proudly growing in my own garden too is here a "Rosa Mundi", the first striped rose ever. The Apothecary's Rose, here also known as Lancaster Rose, is not striped. But whatever we call it it IS just beautiful, with a beguiling fragrance....!
Posted by: Brigitte | Monday, June 16, 2008 at 11:10
Nice, but I like Autumn Cottage's garden better. Alot more charm.
Posted by: Britt-Arnhild in Norway | Monday, June 16, 2008 at 13:27
Wow, Roz. Those are spectacular photos. What a great day you had.
Posted by: Fran aka Redondowriter | Monday, June 16, 2008 at 18:33
This lovely tour around an English garden made me quite homesick - however I did enjoy it and want to be back in Devon for Spring! It seems silly perhaps to be 'homesick' after being gone for so long - but I think it truly means that there is 'no place like home'.
The flowers were so lovely and I would have enjoyed my cuppa and slice of cake in that lovely conservatory.
Posted by: Mary | Monday, June 16, 2008 at 21:46
What a beautiful place!
Posted by: Joy | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 01:38
Would love to visit there. How pretty!
Posted by: Joy | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 02:05
Thanks so very much for sharing these photos! It made me feel as if I were there, without having to pay any regard to our dreadful dollar! This is my first time at your site and I will be back!
Posted by: fromthehouseofedward.blogspot.com | Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 22:59
It's my first time visiting here and I just love your blog. Still trying to figure out exactly which part of England you're in.
Love your photos and since I have a great love for England,I'll be back to visit here often.
Posted by: Terri | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 13:41
It's my first time visiting here and I love your blog. Enjoyed all of your photos and since I have a great love for England, I'll be back to visit often. Still trying to figure out exactly which part of England you're in.
Posted by: Terri | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 13:43