GARDENS TO VISIT

This is a weekend to celebrate as the first without Covid-19 restrictions since March 2020. Gardens are opening either with booked tickets or tickets on the gate: you can find all relevant details at ngs.org.uk.

SHEFFIELD GARDENS, Crookes, Sheffield S10 1UZ

It’s an exciting weekend for garden visiting in the city of Sheffield, with two gardens – at 19 Fir Street and 68 Tasker Road – open today, and Christine Littlewood’s plantswoman’s paradise at Fernleigh opens tomorrow.

The first two are inspiring, small, urban gardens owned by members of Sheffield University’s renowned Department of Landscape Architecture, which is at the forefront of the movement for sustainable gardening. Despite their limited size, both gardens demonstrate a naturalistic, low-maintenance style of planting for impact through the year. At 19 Fir Street many unusual South African plants thrive in the protected urban setting; at 68 Tasker Road you will find water being used sustainably for green roofs and many reclaimed materials. Tomorrow at Fernleigh you can discover something completely different, but with equal plant interest. Open today 12-5pm, £8 for two gardens, children free

Many unusual South African plants thrive in the protected urban setting

COURT HOUSE,

East Quantoxhead, Somerset TA5 1EJ

Tucked away on the north side of the Quantocks with views to the sea just a short walk away, the garden at Court House is a hidden gem that any visitor

will be thrilled to discover. The Luttrell family have lived here since just after the Norman Conquest, but the garden is primarily the 20th-century creation of the present owner’s uncle and aunt.

They took advantage of the mild, maritime conditions to nurture a wonderful collection of plants, both in the main five-acre garden and in a threeacre woodland garden in the style of a Cornish valley garden. In the herbaceous borders of Church Walk the array of plants has a late-summer flourish, including a spectacular array of salvias.

On a hot summer afternoon the woodland garden is a place of cool shade where you can relax and contemplate the garden’s venerable history. Open tomorrow 2-5pm, £5, children free

THAKEHAM PLACE FARM, The Street, Thakeham, West Sussex RH20 3EP

Surrounded by a dairy farm, the spacious garden of Thakeham Place Farm has evolved over 30 years and now has a rich array for visitors, especially in high summer. Perennials and grasses mix happily in various borders around spacious lawns linked by shallow stone steps. Banks of different hydrangeas will be at their best, but they are just one of many enjoyable features to be discovered by following the grass paths.

And this year, for the first time, Thakeham Place Farm is joined by nearby Cumberland House for a combined opening. Here, behind the elegant Georgian house (not open) you will find a delightful ¾ acre country garden including an immaculate walled garden, fine trees and yew topiary.

Open tomorrow 2-5pm, £7 for both gardens, children free