With the arrival of the National Garden Scheme’s guide, I’ve been starting to plan my garden visiting year and there are plenty of new Cotswold open gardens for 2019.
The county branch of the NGS has 14 new gardens, including group openings and the return of some old favourites. There are also new individual gardens in some of the established village openings.
There’s been a change in leadership with the retirement of Norman Jeffery, after 11 years as county organiser. The Gloucestershire team is now led by author and journalist Vanessa Berridge, whose own garden in Winchcombe opens for the scheme (you can read about my visit here).
The new Cotswold open gardens
The first of the new arrivals to open is Lower Slaughter gardens, at the Slaughters Manor House and The Slaughters Country Inn, which promise spring bulbs, flowering cherries and water features. They open on Thursday April 4.
Frith House, at Far Oakridge, near Stroud, also has water gardens, inspired by Monet’s garden, along with a rose garden and formal beds. It opens on May 19 and June 16.
The Old Vicarage near Hartpury is a two-acre garden with mature trees, mixed borders and a potager. It opens on June 8 and 9.
Many years ago, Chedworth was one of the most popular groups in the Cotswold open gardens calendar but the village has not been represented for some time. Now it’s back with 10 varied gardens, including a cut flower farm, and features ranging from terraces and vegetables to wild flowers and water. The group opening is on June 15 and 16.
Weir Reach, at Maisemore, is a country garden with mixed borders, fruit and veg. Among the more unusual features are a bonsai collection and specimen koi carp. It opens on June 16 and 19.
A white garden, herbaceous borders, kitchen garden and wild flower meadows make up the four acres of garden at WaterLane House, which opens on June 20.
There are two gardens opening in Cold Aston this year. Elmbank Farm was originally a farmyard but now has herbaceous, shrubs and a ha-ha while the cottage garden at Springfield House has been created from a disused builder’s yard.
It’s been designed by Katie Lukas, who for many years opened her former garden, Stone House in Wyck Rissington. Katie’s new garden at Little Compton opens for the NGS with the Warwickshire group for the first time this year. The gardens at Cold Aston open on June 23.
Perrywood House at Longney opens on June 29 and 30 and is a one-acre plant lover’s garden. Surrounded by open countryside, it has an informal, country style.
The largest of the new gardens is Thousand Acres at Wotton-under-Edge. Despite the name, it’s actually 10 acres with orchards, woodland, borders and a field dedicated to wildlife conservation. It opens on June 30.
One of the more unusual openings this year is at the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice in Cheltenham. The informal gardens include a feature garden designed by Peter Dowle and a woodland walk. It opens on July 6. (You can read about my visit here.)
Tree Hill, in Winchcombe, is a garden full of exotics, created by a gardener with a passion for Caribbean gardens. It opens on August 11.
Clouds Rest and The Patch, both at Brockweir, near Chepstow, are holding a joint opening on September 15. Clouds Rest has been created from a stony paddock and has a large collection of Michaelmas daisies. The Patch has many repeat flowering roses and perennials.
Finally, among the new Cotswold open gardens, The Chase at Bourton-on-the-Hill is open by arrangement from May to September for groups of five to 30. The main garden area is a disused quarry.
Milestones reached
2018 was a good year for Cotswold open gardens with the county NGS making more than £100,000 for the fourth year in a row. The money raised by the scheme, which was 3.1m nationally in 2018, goes to charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and Perennial, which supports horticulturalists in need.
Many of the gardens have been in the scheme for some years and several reach significant milestones this year. Cadsonbury, Hawkley Cottage, The Manor, Oxleaze Farm, Scatterford, Woodlands Farm and Wortley House have all reached the five-year mark.
Barnsley House, Herbs for Healing, Springfield House and Temple Guiting Manor (pictured top of this post) have been opening for 10 years and Pear Tree Cottage for 20.
Cerney House Gardens and Upton Wold clock up 30 years this year and 25 Bowling Green Road and Campden House celebrate 40 years.
Vanessa, who has been part of the county team for four years, says she enjoys opening her own garden and hopes to encourage more gardeners to join the scheme.
“It’s a lovely thing to do. It gives a focus to your garden and it’s fun having people around.”
In particular, she would like to see more town gardens opening: “It would be great to show what you can do in a town.”
• For full details of the Cotswold open gardens, visit the National Garden Scheme website, where you can also buy The Garden Visitor’s Handbook (£13.99), giving details of open gardens across in England and Wales. The county booklet is available at locations across Gloucestershire in return for a donation.
Follow my blog to read about more Cotswold gardens.