Reopen season
After a year of locked gates, to be able to visit gardens again will be a joy, writes David Overend.
Nothing is certain, and things may change – yet again – but if all goes well, spring really could begin next Saturday when (hopefully) the open garden season should get under way. After more than a year of visitors being “banned” from stepping foot into gardens, they are being opened by their owners to raise money for a variety of nursing charities, and people could be able to experience the joys of Ellerker House at Everingham, York.
From 10am until 5pm, visitors will have the chance to view five carefully created acres, including parkland that is home to many unusual trees and a formal lawn surrounded by colour-themed borders.
An archway planted with old English roses leads to the lake surrounded by a woodland pathway made from old tree stumps and planted with numerous spring bulbs, hellebores and anemones.
In addition, there’s a walk through the woods which, in spring, are filled with bluebells and rhododendrons.
And if all goes well, Ellerker House will also be hosting a plant fair with nurseries selling a variety of unusual plants. Primrose Bank Nurseries will be offering hardy perennials, alpines and bulbs, while Morton Nurseries will be selling hard-tofind shrubs and perennials.
Other nurseries include Hare Spring Cottage Plants, Norwell Nurseries (rare and unusual herbaceous perennials), Ashkeys Nurseries (herbs and vegetables), Westshore Nurseries (ornamental grasses and autumn perennials), Laneside Hardy Orchids, Woodlands Nurseries and Rooneys, which specialises in flytraps and carnivorous plants.
Tickets should be booked on the National Garden Scheme website (www. ngs.org.uk), although they may also be available on the gate. For more information about Ellerker House, visit ellerkerhouse. weebly.com
Another Yorkshire garden planning to open its doors to the public this month is Clifton Castle, at Ripon.
The garden offers stunning views over lower Wensleydale and includes formal walks through wooded “pleasure grounds”. The walled kitchen garden is similar to how it was set out in the 19th century. New wildflower meadows have been laid out with modern sculptures. Clifton Castle, Ripon, HG4 4AB, is open 2-5pm.
If you are planning on visiting any open gardens in the coming weeks, remember to check the details, via www.ngs.org. uk, before you travel.