Two private gardens, one in Wilmslow and the other in Handforth, will welcome visitors this month as part of the National Gardens Scheme which supports such charities as Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Plant lovers Caroline and David Melliar Smith will be opening their garden at 68 South Oak Lane on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July from 11am to 2.30pm.
With year-round colour, scent and interest, this attractive, hedged cottage garden dates from the 1890s and has evolved over the years into five natural 'rooms'.
Understandably, visitors often assume that they spend every minute in the garden. However, Caroline is a professional actress and also a public speaker whilst David is a miller at Nether Alderley Mill. He is also on the committee for the Cheshire Hardy Plant Society.
Together with family commitments, the garden sometimes has to be moved down the list of priorities but it is never neglected. Caroline and David use their tranquil, long, secluded cottage garden as a stress buster - working in it provides them with lots of pleasure and at times a temporary escape.
Caroline and David have been opening their garden for the National Gardens Scheme since 2004. However it is constantly changing, as spaces are rearranged and new plants grow. So even if you have visited in previous years, you will find something new and interesting.
The following weekend, Melanie and Barry Davy will open their garden at Brooke Cottage on Church Road, Handforth. They moved to Brooke Cottage in 1995. At the time, the garden of Brooke Cottage was a blank canvas, overgrown with too many trees and large shrubs.
Barry admits "My gardening skills were very rudimentary but as we worked on getting the garden into some sort of shape I discovered a great enthusiasm for gardening."
As his knowledge grew, Barry decided there was an opportunity for a career change. In 2006, having obtained RHS and City & Guilds qualifications in horticulture and garden design, he left teaching and launched his own gardening and design business.
They opened the garden of Brooke Cottage for the first time that same year so this year will be their 10th opening. Barry uses the garden both as a showroom, so that visitors can see what is possible in their own gardens, and as a place to experiment with new plants.
The garden is continually changing and evolving, initially by trial and error but now mainly by design. Barry does the bulk of the gardening at Brooke Cottage but Melanie is responsible for the lawns, feeding potted plants and anything else she cares to get involved with.
At least one area is redeveloped each year so that returning visitors have something new to see.
Barry commented "I am always pleased and surprised to discover that we have so many visitors, we must be doing something right!"
Graham Beech, NGS local publicity officer, said "I'm delighted that two local gardens in the National Gardens Scheme, Brooke Cottage in Handforth and the garden at 68 South Oak Lane in Wilmslow, will be open to the public again this year. I intend to visit both and to enjoy afternoon tea, as usual, at Brooke Cottage."
Visitors to NGS gardens enjoy the added benefit of contributing to wonderful causes, as approximately 80p in every pound raised at the garden gate goes to charities, which include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices, Carers Trust and Parkinson's UK.
In the last ten years more than £22 million has been donated to charity - including over £14 million to Macmillan Cancer Support and over £6 million to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
68 South Oak Lane, is open Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July (11-4.30). Admission - Adult: £3.50, Children: Free.
Brook Cottage, Church Road, Handforth is open Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July (12-5pm) Admission - Adult: £3.50, Children: Free.
In total 16 private gardens in Cheshire and Wirral will be open for the National Gardens Scheme in July. To find NGS gardens, just browse the 'Garden Finder' section of the NGS website.
Photo: Brooke Cottage.
