Summer gardens should be enjoyed
It could be your garden or a virtual tour to help you relax
Summer gardens should be enjoyed by everyone. Some are open to the public on a regular basis, others just occasionally in the name of charity. Then there is your very own space, seen by some as an outdoor extension of living quarters, a place that offers opportunities for all tastes, food production, creativity, and relaxation.
And even when you’ve achieved your version of paradise, surrounded by plants, structures and furnishings, there’s a lingering urge to improve, make additions, and fine-tune. This is normal.
Gardens evolve over time and one of the best ways of finding inspiration for change is by visiting those of others.
Ideally, this would include gardens large and small, locally, nationally, and world-wide. This enthusiast’s interests also take in exhibitions and flower shows of which Chelsea is tops for ideas.
All the latest hardware, gadgetry and tools are there for viewing, and the diversity of trade stands displaying plants growing out-of season to perfection, is stunning.
All these things I found so absorbing until they came to an abrupt halt, of necessity, during closedown. During the intervening period we’ve visited two virtual Chelsea Shows online. Warkworth Flower Show also went virtual last year and are doing so again in mid-August.
There remains the possibility of virtual garden tours on which you might just spot a plant suitable for addition to your garden. However, nothing compares with observing firsthand, horticultural items in their setting and discussing the pros and cons with someone involved in their creation.
The lady of the house and I recently visited several gardens in Lesbury village that were open under the NGS charitable organisation.
All such locations offered by the scheme are currently booked in time slots online. The occasion was like a breath of fresh air and enlightening.
We were in the process of renewing vegetable and fruit cages and netting at the time and had thumbed through a series of catalogues in search of suitable structures. Those we saw and discussed in local gardens that morning helped focus our thoughts.
Similarly, a visit to four Craster Village gardens open under the same scheme, focused our attention on the considerable range of plants tolerant of a sea front setting and salt laden wind. There was certainly no shortage of colour in the form of herbaceous, shrubby and bulbous plants. Furthermore, the different examples of fruit and vegetable protection proved helpful.