Open gardens

We’re just getting into the open garden season, and as well as the National Garden Scheme open gardens (www.ngs.org.uk) and Scotland Gardens (www.scotlandsgardens.org), many towns, villages and even city districts have their own schemes.

These are almost as much about community as they are about gardening, as it’s a chance to see semi-public and private gardens you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

For example, the London Gardens Trust (www. londongardenstrust.org) has an open squares weekend on June 11-12, so if you’ve ever wondered what’s behind those iron gates, here is your chance.

In my own town, we have Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day (tickets £6/£10 for two from www.favershamsociety.org) with 30 gardens – from tiny back yards packed with pot plants to the very pretty Stonebridge Pond allotments, which are based on the waterways that served the old gunpowder works.

Faversham itself is worth a visit because it has one of the best preserved mediaeval streets in Britain and a beautiful historic market place. On Faversham Open Gardens Day there are plant stalls, cafés, pubs and a general air of a summer fete, which is, I think, the nicest thing about local open garden schemes.

Some are just a few gardens open for a couple of hours, but they usually raise money for good local causes and it’s such a great opportunity to see what other people grow in your climate and soil.

It’s so interesting to see how two people living in very similar houses in the same town can end up having such different gardens. Whether it’s to your taste or not, it’s always a source of good ideas.

There’s a UK directory of open gardens on www.opengardens.co.uk, and if you run a local open garden scheme, you can add your event free of charge. It lists over 4,000 gardens in 317 open garden events, all around the UK.