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Fancy Seeing Some Amazing Hidden Treasures?

September 6, 2011 By 10 Comments
Doors into another world

Doors into another world Image by Ian-S via Flickr

I had the privilege of living in a 17th century, 2 star listed building called Newton Manor House, when my parents had a ‘mad’ moment and bought a dilapidated property in the Isle of Purbeck, to run a specialist holiday business, promoting nature and history in Dorset within their fields of expertise.

 

This house had seen generations of families come and go, and had been used for many purposes, including a girl’s school. While we were there we met a few returning pupils with their families, wanting to relive their little bit of this great house’s history.

 

Everyone loves a good story, and our house wasn’t exempt from rumours of ghosts as back in 1685 on the high street near to the house, stood the gallows on which body parts of executed prisoners following Judge Jeffreys’ assize were hung in chains. Apparently one guest saw a green hand! During my time there, I think I slept in each of the 9 guest rooms, and can say I didn’t meet a green hand, friendly or otherwise. I remember knocking on the carved wooden panels, just in case there was a secret door or tunnel (sadly I never found one).

 

With any house we live in, people come and go, with their own life stories. Our homes become a part of us, whether happily or not, but there is something to be said of living in a great house of history, such as our manor house. As a child, I would imagine characters that may have lived there, as I noticed graffiti drawn in pencil in the rafters of the loft, left by previous people living there.

 

Over the years, this great house had been ‘separated’ into different properties, including the Manor, Hall, Lodge, and Cottage. Land had been sold for housing and slowly and surely this house of grandeur, that had seen many things behind and in front of its walls, became a house of history surrounded by unimpressive new builds that imposed on its outlook.

 

I have been to many wonderful historical homes over the years, learning about our history, coming to life before our eyes. I have been in houses not much to look at, but with great historical significance such as the atmospheric Anne Franks House in Amsterdam, right through to stately homes showing off their architecture, power and influence such as Kingston Lacy owned by the National Trust. I have also worked in the National Trust Tearooms looking out on the very impressive Corfe Castle in the Isle of Purbeck, and enjoyed staying at Tiverton Castle in Devon, for my birthday last year.

 

My experience of living in a manor house gave me a great insight into the importance of valuing our country’s history, and I feel honoured to have played a part in its story.

 

Why am I sharing this with you?

 

From the 8th – 11th September there will be hundreds of secret, hidden gems, across our green and pleasant land, opening their doors for the public to catch a glimpse of their stunning architecture, history, and for us to learn about their untold stories.

 

Some of the open day’s properties are regularly open to the public, but are taking part by allowing free entry – so this would be a great opportunity to see what is in your local area.

 

I recommend a visit to the open properties taking part in the Heritage Open Days,

You will not be disappointed.

 

To check your available events in your area, please visit Heritage Open Day’s Directory for details. Some places have tours available and some properties require advance booking, so don’t miss out and have a great day exploring our great heritage sites.

 

Have you been to one of the Heritage Open days? Which places would you recommend?

 

Have you lived or stayed in a house of history?

 

Anita

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Top 10 Days Out For August Bank Holiday Weekend

August 25, 2011 By 10 Comments
Kite Festival

Image by Niels Linneberg via Flickr Kite Festival

As another bank holiday will soon be here, I have been doing a little research, and put together a list of suggestions for great days out – enjoy!

 

  • The Press Photographers Year  2011 exhibition at the National Theatre in Southbank. Running until September 4th. Check website for times. This showcases photographs used in the media. It’s a free event.

 

  • A bit of history – Siege! English heritage have a special event running from the Sunday 28th – Monday 29th This event is taking place at Kenilworth Castle and Elizabeth Gardens in Warwickshire.

 

  • The power of story telling – ‘Sting in the tale’. This special storytelling festival began on the 19th and finishes on the 29th August, with stories being told around camp fires, heritage walks, and workshops, being held in a variety of venues in Dorset.  Program 

 

  • Football with a difference! The beautiful Cotswolds town of Bourton-on-the-water have a tradition of playing a game of football in the river Windrush that runs through the village, event is held on Monday 29th August – event is free to watch. There are some lovely shops and a perfumery to take advantage of!

 

  • Take a trip on a steam railway. I can review that the ‘Watercress Line’ In Alresford, Hampshire, makes a lovely day out.

 

 

  • Be creative – ceramic painting. This is a great wet weather option.  It makes a great afternoon out, with choosing an item to paint and there is often a lovely array of food and drinks, to help keep your creative juices flowing.

 

  • See an open air theatre production -
    1. The Miracle Theatre Company is performing ‘Death of Sherlock Holmes’ at Trelissick Gardens in Cornwall, from Friday 26th – Sunday 28th August.
    1. OVO Theatre Company is performing ‘Macbeth‘ at St Paul’s Walden Bury, Hitchen from Friday 26th – Sunday 28th August.
    1. Chapterhouse Theatre Company is performing ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Exbury Gardens in Hampshire on Saturday 27th August.

 

  • Hug a tree. Westonbirt are holding a special event – TreeFest running from Friday 26th – Monday 29th August. There will be music, crafts, food and workshops, highlighting the importance of trees. Children’s entry is free of charge. Camping is also available.

 

  • A day out with our furry friends. Raising money for children with disabilities and their families. Essex Dog Day is being held in parkland at Hatfield Peverel on Sunday 28th August. The event is being opened by Jimmy Doherty from Jimmy’s Farm.

 

What suggestions do you have for this Bank Holiday weekend?

 

I hope you have a great bank holiday weekend.

 

Anita

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Should We Save Legal Aid?

August 19, 2011 By 3 Comments
gavel

Image by s_falkow via Flickr

With the massive government cutbacks that are taking place, Legal Aid is next to go on the list of many essential tools and services that help the most vulnerable in our society.

 

Recently I came across an e-petition on saving Legal Aid. With the revised changes it will not only affect individuals who need to use legal aid, but also service providers such as the charity – Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). CAB provides help and advice within the areas of welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment and legal aid. CAB sees access to the legal aid system as very important for those who come to them for help and their service

 

I have been to CAB in the past for help, and have grown to understand the huge importance and excellent value of this charity, which provides helps to thousands of people each year.

 

If legal aid was taken away tomorrow, many vulnerable people and groups would not be able to afford to have access to the legal justice system, and it would also prevent specialist charity groups such as CAB from giving appropriate advice and support to those in very difficult situations.

 

Clearly savings need to be made. For example, cutting back on the bureaucracy in the legal aid system would be the most obvious place to start, but the current government seem to have taken the view that directly cutting the structure and funding is the way to go, relying on ‘big society’ groups to fill the void that this will create. Where would you start?

 

With the deep cuts our country is facing, more specialist advice and support is required for vulnerable people, otherwise the same problems will just be passed along, getting worse, becoming more expensive, waiting for another department or underfunded group or charity to deal with.

 

This issue needs to be important to everyone, as no one knows how secure our jobs and businesses or personal circumstances will be. Concerns such as welfare funding cuts and job losses happening throughout our communities always affect the most vulnerable first. If the right support and care is put in place, the damage can be limited. With greater chances for people to find alternative plans to help them in their difficult circumstances. We can’t afford to be people with the ‘not in my back yard’ philosophy. If the riots have taught us anything that we need each other; we need to help one another to get through these tough and often frightening times.

 

In a report by Citizens Advice they have shown that their specialist service saves the public money; with every £1.00 invested in legal aid services, they can save tax payers £8.80 with their early specialist legal help interventions. (page 3 MOJ legal aid green paper). The value for money speaks for itself.

 

Often there isn’t just one problem to deal with; so a service that provides a wide specialist field is essential. A CAB worker is able to look at a client’s specific needs within their individual case – and draw up an immediate plan of action, as well as helping prevent the most pressing problem becoming a long-term issue. Often people don’t seek help until literally the last minute, which creates more work in administration costs for service providers. To gain an understanding of the numbers of people who are in need of help, CAB reported that in the year 2009 – 2010 there specialist advisors saw 2.1 million people with over 7 million problems. (page 7 MOJ legal aid green paper)

 

The problems included are: (Page 7)

  • Debt, benefits, services, housing, discrimination, domestic violence, divorce …
  • They also deal with over 25,000 problems about legal aid

 

CAB has been able to demonstrate that it has effectively dealt with 80 % of their clients’ legally aided welfare cases with a positive outcome, thus saving public funds.

 

Early intervention has been shown to be a key necessity in legal aid cases. As social welfare is a complex area, many individual problems spread and affect other areas of service users concerns, such as debt, housing and welfare, which may not be seen by government agencies who are not always in a position to perceive the bigger picture.

 

As a part of the Coalitions plans for the ‘Big Society’, the proposed legal aid changes for the Not-for-Profit sector will see a loss of some £60 million in funding (page 67 MOJ legal aid green paper). The question is: how can communities survive and continue to play an essential part of the expert care that is so obviously needed today for the Big Society to work?

 

I realise that our MP’s like to refer to the Lottery ‘Transition Fund’ that is available to help organisations make the transition, but only so much can be done with £100 million.

 

Take CAB as an example, they rely on a huge number of volunteers – some 21,500 but the importance of Case Workers is also vital to provide a more specialist service for quite often diverse, complex cases, so wise and equitable distribution of funding is key.

 

Clearly there are no easy answers, but from what I can see keeping legal aid is essential for those who are vulnerable in our communities. The government needs to work hand in hand with the voluntary and ‘Not-for-Profit groups such as CAB, to provide a more detailed analysis into this difficult but important issue.

 

What do you think? Should we save legal aid?

 

If you don’t want to loose legal aid you can find the e-petition here:

 

If  CAB has helped you or a family member and you would like to make a donation to CAB’s  fundraising page -

 

You can also search on their website for your local cab and donate to your local CAB office. 

 

Anita

 

MOJ legal aid green paper – Report. Evidence: Citizens Advice Bureaux:  Proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales. Response by Citizens Advice to the Ministry of Justice. February 2011

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Pirates, A Picnic, And A typical English Summers Evening…

August 14, 2011 By 13 Comments

Lulworth Castle 'Cinema under the stars' (by mobile phone)

Over the last week we have had a couple of my best girlfriends stay with us. Thursday was our last day together, so we thought we would celebrate in style, by going to our local ‘Cinema under the stars’ event at Lulworth Castle run by The Nomad. The film for the night was ‘Pirates of the Caribbean – The Black Pearl,’ dressing up was optional – with prizes for the best costumes ;) sadly we didn’t win…

 

It gave a great excuse to get out my ‘posh’ wicker picnic hamper; which included china plates, china mugs and cheese board and wine glasses, so a couple of bottles of something nice was called for, as well as a salad to go with the fish and chips that would be available, and strawberries and cream, as well as the usual flasks of hot water to make warming drinks for the cold night air.

 

During the day we frequently visited the weather forecast; it assured us that the weather would cheer up for the evening, as we gazed longingly into the grey clouded skies, at Bluepool earlier in the day, consuming naughty cream teas, hoping, wishing that there would be a hint of blue skies with a touch of ‘supposedly’ August sunshine breaking through.

 

It got to 6.30pm and we decided we would brave it and got ready to go. So off we went, trying to remember everything required, including the dog! As we got there we were met by a Captain Jack Sparrow wannabe and drove up the bumpy field. As we unloaded with what felt like bringing an entire house hold of stuff of blankets, coats and seats, we found our spot near the hedge and set up our glorious tea, while Matt disappeared, re appearing later with a pint of something cold. We watched as families appeared; some dressed for the occasion, others dressed for what we were trying not to face – a typical English summer’s evening, including tents and large golf umbrellas.

 

The backdrop was pretty amazing. Not many can say that they have seen a film, with a castle as the frame. As the evening went on, so did the rain…. There I was with three layers on, dressed for the depths of winter, a coat with a hood that I could barely see out from, cuddling a small dog under an umbrella, balancing my plate of soggy chips and salad on the arm of my seat – all we could do was laugh, as you couldn’t see anything, as the promised stars didn’t make an appearance that night, thank goodness we had torches! :)

 

It was a night to remember, a good film and great company – ooh happy memories :)

 

If you would like to see a film outdoors with a great backdrop, here are a few suggestions:

Althorp in Northampton  have a girls only night on 26th August to see Breakfast at Tiffanys as well as other films

 

  • Check out The Nomad which has a variety of showings at different locations including –

Opera Holland Park London with Some Like It Hot on the 19th August,

Damson House on Bexley Heath with The Sound Of Music on the 18th August

 

 

Have you ever been to an outdoor cinema? What film did you see?

 

Anita

 

Photo: Lulworth Castle – Pirates of the Caribbean. Cinema under the stars event 11th August. Photo taken by mobile phone in the rain. A Hunt.

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The Dazzling Delights Of Hydrangeas

August 7, 2011 By 15 Comments

On a recent trip to Cornwall, you could not fail to notice the mighty hydrangea – it was everywhere! We began a game – ‘spot the hydrangea’. They lined paths and streets, as well as gardens filled with every type and colour, but nothing prepared us for the sight of the Hydrangea Valley at Trebah Gardens. Whites, pinks, blues, filled the valley; I have never seen so many packed in one place before.

The day we visited, the colours glistened from the hot, bright sunshine, after a week of rain. The colours dazzled!

Hydrangeas © Nita Joy Designs

 

As I am not one for missing an opportunity, I didn’t want to miss taking the perfect shot of a hydrangea. They can be quite tricky flowers to photograph, especially if there is any wind around – which undoubtedly there will be when you specialise in photographing flowers!

 

After going through my photos of Cornish gardens and countryside, the one flower that stood out slightly ahead of the other popular summer flower seen everywhere – the brilliant red of the Crocosmia, was the hydrangea. I think I went a bit crazy with my camera. I am sure my family were all bored to bits at the sight of yes; you got it, another hydrangea… :)

 

I think they are rather lovely flowers, with such variety and colour!

If you love hydrangeas then I would recommend a trip to Trebah gardens :)

 

Here are some interesting facts about hydrangeas:

 

  • The hydrangea comes from the Greek word hydor which means water; it was thought that the large flower heads resembled Greek water vessels.
  • The two most popular types of hydrangeas are known as mopheads and lacecaps, but there are many varieties and colours.
  • They are fairly easy to grow if planted in an organic rich soil, which retains moisture.
  • Some varieties can be grown in pots
  • Different varieties call for pruning at differing times; such as in spring or straight after flowering. Spending some time researching your variety of hydrangea, will help to keep it in top condition, and help ensure prolific flowering each year.
  • Often the type of soil that the mophead hydrangea variety is planted in, determines the colour of the flowers. For example acid soils will tend to have blue flowers, and alkaline often have pink flowers.
  • It is best to water hydrangea with rainwater rather than tap water, particularly in hard water areas as this can also affect the colour of mophead varieties.
  • Hydrangeas are beautiful as cut and dried flowers and make lovely wedding bouquets.

 

 

If you like Hydrangeas here are some suggested websites for further information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

………………………………..

I will be returning to the subject of Trebah Gardens in a future blog post.

For more information please visit their website: www.trebahgarden.co.uk

 

Note: As I am the flower bird on Birds on the Blog, what would you like to know about gardens, flowers, nature? Let me know, I would love to hear from you! :)

 

Anita

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Celebrating A Wedding Anniversary?

July 18, 2011 By 9 Comments

This week I will be celebrating my 10thWedding Anniversary. Traditionally there are gifts associated with each anniversary, but if you investigated further, there are often many different meanings – in terms of traditional or modern, and various cultures.

Daffodil © Nita Joy Designs

 

Not only are there traditional gifts such as paper, tin and china, but there are also flower associations with each year; for example – the tenth year would be the gift of tin, or in terms of flower associations, it would be daffodils. I knew I should have got married in the spring!  Oh well, silk daffodils will have to do I suppose, or if I’m really lucky girl, I may get a tin of my favourite biscuits too – gluten free of course! :)

 

I have noticed over the years that wedding anniversaries don’t tend to be observed that much anymore, unless it’s a Silver, Pearl, Ruby, Gold, or if you manage to make it – Diamond! Most of our friends tend to send us text messages to say congratulations, if they remember. Times are changing, and as weddings are becoming less popular, and there are more pressures on family life, there are many painful associations with weddings and marriages,  so it’s hardly surprising that anniversaries are not celebrated much any more.

 

As you know – I am the flower card girl, so I tend to send friends and family wedding anniversary cards, as I like to remember their special day with them, and I love making special cards for my customers.

 

If you have a friend or family member who has a wedding anniversary approaching, and you would like to celebrate with them, here is a floral list of anniversaries to give you some ideas (or secretly leave lying around for your partner).

 

1st – Pansy or carnations

2nd – Cosmos

3rd – Sunflowers

4th – Geranium or hydrangea

5th – Daises

6th – Calla Lilies

7th – Freesia

8th – Clematis or lilac

9th – Poppy

10th – Daffodil

11th – Tulip

12th – Peony

13th – Chrysanthemum

14th – Dahlia

15th – Rose

20th – Day lily

25th – Iris

28th – Orchid

30th – Sweetpea

40th – Nasturtium

50th – Violets

 

 

Just think when you reached your 50th, you could just have a massive bouquet with all the flowers listed above, reminding you of your special years together! ;)

 

Have you received a special wedding anniversary gift?

My special gift is that I can’t believe how lucky I am to have Matt in my life – I am very blessed. Thanks for everything Matt – I love you to the moon and back xx

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Top 10 Nature Activities To Do This Summer

July 13, 2011 By 3 Comments

I used to literally count the days until the summer holidays when I was a child. I have always loved nature, investigating what was happening in my garden. I would always be off somewhere on my bike, by the local river or woodland, observing birds, butterflies, snails, caterpillars as well as my beloved flowers, living out my own stories as well as pretending I was a part of the Famous Five.

The summer is a great time to experience nature at its best, whether you visit a park, make some crafts, or get involved in some local activities.

Meadow © Nita Joy Designs

 

If you are looking for fun nature activities that you can do as a family this summer, here are my top ten.

 

 

  • RSPB Wildlife Explorers The RSPB have a great range of activities and events to inspire children and families all over the UK. Membership starts from £16 a year.

 

  • National Parks  Many hold special event days, so visit their website for further details.

 

 

  • Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT)  have 9 centres across the UK, covering over 2000 hectares of rich wildlife! If you have ever seen Springwatch you will know how wonderful the London centre is. I have visited Slimbridge in Gloucester and loved it there.

 

  • The National Trust Their website has plenty of information to help you plan a day out, with activities for children and suggestions for heritage places and gardens to visit. There is sure to be something on your doorstep.

 

  • Eden Project  in Cornwall – this year they celebrate their 10th anniversary. Learn all about the fascinating life of plants, and how we can lessen our damaging impact on the world!

 

  • Butterfly World If you love wildflowers and butterflies then visit the relatively new Butterfly World in Hertfordshire, it looks fantastic and is at the top of my list of where to visit (open 26th June – 31st August)

 

  • Monkey World  in Dorset, specialise in rescuing and rehabilitating Apes.

 

  • Sea Life centres, rock pooling and fossil hunting! Make the most of our wonderful UK coastline, there are many places where you can discover more about the wildlife on our beaches and oceans. I have been rather spoilt in Dorset as there are so many places to visit, if you are interested in our marine wildlife and fossils. From the 30th July – 14th August, it’s National Marine Week!

 

Where are your favourite nature places to visit ? :)

 

Anita

 

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Are Your Data And Customer Details Properly Protected?

July 8, 2011 By 4 Comments
A medical record folder being pulled from the ...

Image via Wikipedia

As I read about the latest scandal about the NHS losing millions of medical records, my mind went to the numerous stories in the past of various businesses and public services losing important data; whether it had been stolen – such as the case of the Anonymous Internet Hacking Group, which targeted companies such as Sony – or folders and laptops of information accidently left in taxis, buses, trains, cafes or even emails that contain important confidential information, being sent to the wrong people…

 

The NHS looks like it will be facing a huge fine for the Trusts inadequacies, but is a fine really the way to go? Surely in our poor economy with the many pressures on resources and funding being cut in many areas, a fine will cause more problems for the patients that the NHS are supposed to be caring for?

 

I think that better safeguarding and information sharing training is the way to go, and I don’t mean by excessively overpriced new security and IT rollouts for the NHS yet again. It’s obvious that the dreadful way that customers and patients details seem to be going missing and falling into the wrong hands, for example those seeking to use our records to cause further damaging problems such as tabloid journalists and scammers. This needs to be dealt with quickly, and given a much higher priority – and preferably without needing a money hungry report from a quango to do it!  Also greater standards need to be put into place to stop customer’s details being sold to unscrupulous businesses, e.g. ambulance chasing lawyers, something that has been discussed in the House of Commons earlier this week.

 

It is a serious question in our time of social media and computer and internet reliance, as well as greater opportunities for flexible office workers to work from home. Each of us handles important data on a daily basis, whether it would be customers signing up to our newsletters, or to fuller customer personal and banking records. A lot of our data is held on a computer and our numerous back up options.

 

Like with anything, there will always be human error, it can be very easy to accidently leave your laptop in a taxi or café, but the question is what can we do to minimise the mistakes that can cause and lead to monumental security breaches.

 

We can all be angry at the perceived lack of care with our personal data, such as what has happened in the NHS, and rightly so, but all of us need to continually update and improve our processes and security, in how we deal and look after our customer data.

 

I for one, feel privileged every time I have someone want to sign up to my newsletter or buy one of my products or services; trusting me with their details. Trust is hugely important whether it is in business or daily life. I want my customers to know that their details are safe in my hands. The only way I can do this, is by working hard to put appropriate systems in place to ensure I live up to the trust they have placed in me.

 

What does your business do to ensure that your customer data is kept as safely as possible? Which systems would you recommend or avoid from past experience?

 

Are fines just the way to go? Or should we be enforcing and demanding the highest level of training, to try and prevent this happening again?

 

Anita

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A Crowd Pleaser That Causes a Real Stink!

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The amazing design of plants and the power of scent!

On the surface you may just think plants / flowers are there just as a decorating tool to the countryside, which can also be enjoyed in our homes, but if you look further, the life of plants can be a complicated mix of perfect design and biology, built specifically for various purposes.

There are plants which neither look pretty nor have a scent to make you rush out and buy their perfume, but rather make you run the other way!

Titan arum coming into flower in the Princess ...

Image via Wikipedia

The wonderfully named ‘Corpse Flower’ is quite a sensation in the plant world, with horticulturists and plant lovers lining up to see this mysterious plant when it rarely flowers, even if it’s in the middle of the night, as it did recently, at a Washington University Biology Department.

Plants will do anything to attract their target pollinators, and if that means looking a bit rough around the edges and smelling of decaying mammals ‘oh how lovely’ that’s what they do.

The first recorded time that the Corpse Flower also known as the Titan Arum and Carrion Flower, successfully flowered in cultivation, was at our own Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in 1889. Kew Gardens have been growing their collection of species of Titan Arum, so opportunities to see one flowering are increasing so watch their website if you fancy catching a glimpse. The Eden Project in Cornwall also has one, which most recently flowered earlier this month.

Here are some amazing facts about this plant:

  • It can take up to 6 years to flower from seed if grown in perfect conditions.
  • Flowering is difficult to plan for as the plant is unpredictable.
  • It usually only flowers for 2 – 3 days at a time, so blink and you have missed it.
  • It grows in the rainforests in Sumatra on the side of steep hills.
  • It can reach 3 m in height
  • It produces berries – but don’t think of trying them as they are potentially very harmful or even deadly!
  • It is on the list of vulnerable plants
  • In 1926 the draw of this plant’s flowers caused such a stir at Kew Gardens that they had to call the police, as crowds got out of hand!

If you are sad that you missed out on being knocked out by the stench of this plant, keep your eyes peeled for the next flowering. Make sure you get your ticket, as they are sure to sell out fast!

I am sad to say I won’t be joining you on your visit, I think I will admire it from afar, I’m not sure it would help me sell many birthday cards or kitchen splashbacks… ;)

Anita

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How Being A Nosey Neighbour Can Make You Bloom

June 11, 2011 By 6 Comments

Have you ever wanted to take a peek at the leafy treasures just beyond your garden fence?

Visiting gardens is a lovely pastime for many, whether you are a gardener or not. It doesn’t matter whether you live in the town or country, whether you have a garden or a plant pot on your windowsill.

© A Hunt sendaflowercard.com

The National Garden Scheme, also known as the NGS, have over 3000 gardens for you to visit around the county.

The NGS began in 1927; with the aim of raising funds for much needed nursing in deprived communities. What started as a small idea grew and grew into what is now an amazing network of gardens for every taste, opening at different times throughout the year. Not only do you get to see gardens that you would not necessarily get the chance to see, but also through your entry donation, your visit raises valuable funds for various charities and community projects.

At this time of year there is a treasure trove of gardens to visit. June is a month where flower beds are showing off their splendour, full of roses, foxgloves, delphiniums… I have long been a supporter of the NGS where small to large gardens have been tenderly cared for by gardeners, up and down our glorious county, who love to share their little bit of heaven with you.

Last weekend, I visited a village called Coombe Keynes in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, which is a beautiful little village with gorgeous thatched cottages. This village NGS open day had several gardens working together to raise funds for their village hall. These gardens included the very fashionable vegetable plots, and typical English cottage plants.

When we arrived, we first went through to the old vicarage gardens that displayed various fruit trees and cottage plant borders, then we wandered through the village looking at gardens specialising in vegetables, and finally (my favourite) a beautiful larger garden, complete with pretty seating, pond, borders filled to the brim with plants that would inspire anyone with a garden (large or small), and a lovely wendy house that I would have loved as a child. The owners very helpfully had written an information sheet for visitors, explaining what they had planned to do with the garden; giving the visitor a picture of what it used to be like and what they hope to achieve in the future.

The NGS yellow book for your area is available in tourist information centres, or through their website. The book and website provides useful information of available gardens to visit, dates they are open, suitability for disabled people, whether teas and plants are available, and lastly whether dogs are welcome or not.

There are also other open gardens around the country, which don’t operate under the NGS scheme, so keep your eyes peeled for information in your local newspaper or online. I am looking forward to visiting Cerne Abbas’s open gardens weekend – 18th-19th June which have between 20-25 gardens to visit, (great idea for Father’s Day, as I’m sure you can fit in a cream tea).

I encourage you to visit some NGS and other open gardens in your area this summer; and see what treasures are behind the garden fence in your local area, you never know what it may inspire, and will make a lovely day or evening trip out.  :)

What gardens have you visited? Which gardens would you recommend?

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