Spring is here and the National Garden Scheme’s Derbyshire contingent is ready to put on a show. Here’s a taste of what to see, and what to expect…
Grand Style
The Dower House, Melbourne
Owned by William and Griselda Kerr, this stunning garden incorporates a beautiful view of Melbourne Pool from balustraded terrace, which runs the length of this Grade II listed house.
The garden drops steeply by paths or steps to the lawn, which features herbaceous borders and a bank of some 60 shrubs.
Highlights include a bog garden, glade, shrubbery, grasses, herb and kitchen garden, rose tunnel, arbour, orchard and small woodland.
May 17-18
Country Idyll334 Belper Road Photo: Ashley Franklin 334 Belper Road, Stanley Common
This large, romantic country-style garden is owned by Gill and Colin Hancock and contains attractive features, including a laburnum tunnel, rose and wisteria domes, old workman’s hut, and a wildlife pond.
Take a walk through the ten acres of woodland and glades to a half-acre lake; take in the organic vegetable garden and see the lovely wisteria pergola.
There’s plenty of seating to enjoy and, most importantly, homemade cakes!
May 17, June 8
Family Friendly
Holmea, Ambergate
Owners Bill and Tracy Reid invite you to explore their wonderful nature-centric garden, which also offers children’s activities and a pop-up garden railway.
Younger visitors will enjoy meeting the animals – goats, chickens, ducks, and geese. There’s also a fun Riverside Walk quiz to identify features and creatures alongside the River Derwent.
The garden is managed organically and visitors may be interested to see how Bill and Tracy grow their garden alongside their feathered friends.
May 14, June 15
Surprising Suburban
8 Curzon Lane, Alvaston, Derby
A mature, secluded garden, John and Marian Gray’s garden boasts abundant wildlife. It’s hard to believe this garden exists in a built up area just yards from the busy A6.
On the right is a large pond well stocked with fish and aquatic plants. Further down the garden is an even more secluded area, now the tropical jungle bed, and includes bananas, palms, tree ferns, bamboo and other large foliage exotics.
To the right is the greenhouse, apple, nectarine and two Asian pear trees, veg plot and composting bins.
Closer to the house is a gravel garden with alpines, grasses, and sedum.
July 6 and 20
Cottage Garden
Hill Cottage, Littlemoor, Ashover
Found in the hamlet of Littlemoor, outside the pretty village of Ashover, Hill Cottage is a lovely example of the English country cottage garden.
Whilst small, the garden has full, fragrant and colourful mixed borders along with hostas and roses in pots and a heart shaped lawn.
A greenhouse full of chillies, tomatoes and scented pelargoniums as well as Pekin bantams and a small Potager all adds to the country cottage atmosphere.
Whilst the cottage is late Victorian, the gardens have been created almost from scratch over the past eight years by owners Jane Tomlinson and Tim Walls.
There are views to the horizon over a pastoral landscape.
June 29
Grow Your Own
A riot of colour at Ashbourne Road and District Allotments Photo: Amanda McConnell Ashbourne Road and District Allotments
Home of Derbyshire Life’s very own Potty Plotters!
This tranquil site is located on the outskirts of Derby city centre and boasts an array of plots of differing sizes which will overload your senses with new and vibrant ideas about ‘growing your own’.
The grass pathways will lead you round the nine-acre community site, taking you past the Growing Academy (created to support the starter plot tenants) before passing the giant cockerel and on towards the bus shelters.
Look out for allotments with flowers, fruit and vegetables even Enid Blyton would be proud of! These allotments really showcase individuality and community spirit.
August 2
FOUR FAMILIAR FINDS
Melbourne Hall Photo: Gary Wallis
Melbourne Hall
A 17-acre historic garden with abundant rare trees and shrubs, Melbourne Hall is majestic. Woodland and waterside planting with extensive herbaceous borders delight, while other features include Bakewell’s wrought iron arbour, a yew tunnel and fine 18th century statuary and water features.
Locko Hall
Locko Hall, near Derby, is actually an original 1927 open garden for the National Garden Scheme. A large garden, consisting of a pleasure garden and a rose garden, it boasts extensive grounds featuring rhododendrons.
Renishaw Hall
The subject of this month’s front cover, Renishaw Hall and Gardens boasts seven acres of stunning gardens. Italianate gardens, rose gardens, rare trees and shrubs, National Collection of Yuccas, sculptures, woodland walks and lakes create a magical and engaging garden experience.
Tissington Hall
Home of Derbyshire Life’s resident baronet, Sir Richard FitzHerbert, Tissington Hall is celebrating over 85 years in the National Garden Scheme, with visitors able to enjoy the stunning rose garden on west terrace, herbaceous borders, and five acres of grounds.
WHAT THE OWNERS SAY
When we realised the money raised by the National Garden Scheme benefited so many good causes it was the obvious route for us.
Giving people a really nice day out and raising money at the same time seemed easier than running a marathon – although I might not say that the day after our open weekend!
Tracy Reid, Holmea, Ambergate
It is after all, all about noses! Smell the homemade cake and follow your nose through to the quality plants nurtured by that extraordinary gardener.
Sniff the flowers as you pass and note their fragrance but, this year, don your walking boots for a memorable snuffle round the Ashbourne Road District Allotments.
Meander through the quaintly manicured 9.5 acres of plots where you might catch a whiff of horsemuck, that much talked of treasure of the Potty Plotters! Spot them lurking behind their ‘straw-bra-ries’ or necking a fruit gin or two in their ‘Shed Quarters’.
Seriously though, the NGS is a charity which supports charities to provide the nursing and caring services we hope never to need ourselves. So, whilst we can help the NGS to help others, we will!
Elaine and Julia, aka the Potty Plotters
We opened for the first time in June 1997. Family and friends soon became involved, making cakes, growing plants, parking cars, washing up… and before long we had a team of around 16. Everyone seemed to get a lot of pleasure from helping us.
The garden has changed over the years, becoming more natural, with lots of shrubs and not so many perennials.
We now only open twice a year as we are all getting older, but we have private visits of up to 30 which Colin and I can manage on our own, which is very nice as we get time to talk to visitors.
The refreshments are now renowned as we usually have about 20 different cakes to choose from, all kindly donated. We also have a good plant stall grown by friends.
We’ve raised £59,000 over the past 27 years with lots of help from our team and visitors.
Gill Hancock, 334 Belper Road
Mary Berry is NGS’ president Photo: Susie Bell/Sarah Prall
DID YOU KNOW?
Something for everyone
Out of 79 Derbyshire gardens in the scheme, 52 are designated dog friendly and 12 child friendly. At ngs.org.uk/gardens, features are identified for each garden including: Refreshments; Wheelchair Access; Contactless Payments; Plants for Sale to name but a few – so you can tailor which to visit based on preferences and requirements.
Florence Nightingale
She may be one of Derbyshire’s most famous daughters, but did you know Florence Nightingale played a role in creating the NGS? Seeing first-hand the good nursing in the home could do, William Rathbone, a philanthropist and MP, worked with her to develop district nursing, creating an integral link between gardens and health in the process, which Florence knew existed.
During Covid lockdowns, some NGS garden owners created films of their gardens to keep the garden gates open online. There are now over 190 gardens from across the country you can visit virtually, which will continue to be added to. Those who enjoy the virtual visits are invited to make a donation to Help Support our Nurses.
Charitable impact
Last year proved to be a record year for the National Garden Scheme, with £3,501,227 donated to the charity’s beneficiaries, with the lion’s share – £2,550,000 – going to some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities. In total NGS has raised over £74m for nursing and health charities.
Well-known faces
The National Garden Scheme can count on the support of many familiar personalities, including its president Mary Berry, Monty Don, and ambassadors Fiona Bruce, Emma Bridgewater, Danny Clarke (aka the Black Gardener) among others.
GARDENS GALORE
More Derbyshire gardens that can be visited over the coming months…
10 Chestnut Way, Repton, DE65 6FQ
12 Hastings Close, Derby, DE73 8BN
13 Westfield Road, Swadlincote, DE11 0BG
19 West View, Chesterfield, S43 4HT
2 Brooklands Avenue, Matlock, DE4 4AB
2 Haddon View, Matlock, DE4 2LR
22 Pinfold Close, Repton, DE65 6FR
26 Stiles Road, Derby, DE24 0PG
26 Windmill Rise, Belper, DE56 1GQ
27 Wash Green, Matlock, DE4 4FD
3 School Woods Close, Heanor, DE75 7JS
34 High Street, Derby, DE65 6GD
36 Edge Road, Matlock, DE4 3NH
49 Middle Row, Buxton, SK17 8SX
58A Main Street, Swadlincote, DE12 8JW
60 Poplar Road, Derby, DE72 3BH
9 Hawkins Drive, Belper, DE56 2JN
9 Main Street, Ilkeston, DE7 6AU
90 Boughton Lane, Chesterfield, S43 4Q
Askew Cottage, Derby, DE65 6FZ
Barlborough Gardens, Chesterfield, S43 4EH
Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 2TA
Brierley Farm, Chesterfield, S45 0HS
Broomfield Hall, Ilkeston, DE7 6DN
Byways, Chesterfield, S40 3NX
Cascades Gardens, Matlock, DE4 2AH
Chevin Brae, Belper, DE56 0QH
Clarendon, Chesterfield, S43 4EN
Coxbench Hall, Derby, DE21 5BB
Dronfield Heritage Trust, Dronfield, S18 1PX
Elm Tree Cottage, Worksop, S80 4LS
Elm Tree Farm, Worksop, S80 4LS
Elmton Gardens, Worksop, S80 4LS
Fern Bank, Matlock, DE4 4AD
Fir Croft, Calver, S32 3ZD
Ford Lodge, Alfreton, DE55 5RG
Gorse Cottage, Hope Valley, S32 3YB
Gorsey Bank Gardens, Matlock, DE4 4AB
Greenacres, Belper, DE56 0TF
Greystones Barn, Barlborough, S43 4EN
High Roost, Glossop, SK13 6UZ
Highfield House, Alfreton, DE55 7AP
Hillside, Belper, DE56 2RB
Lindway, Chesterfield, S43 4TR
Littleover Lane Allotments, Derby, DE23 6JF
Longford Hall Farm, Ashbourne, DE6 3DS
Marlborough Cottage, Buxton, SK17 6RQ
Meveril Lodge, High Peak, SK23 9UZ
Meynell Langley Trials Garden, Ashbourne, DE6 4NT
Mill Cottage, Matlock, DE4 4AD
Moorfields, Chesterfield, S42 5DE
New Mills School, High Peak, SK22 4NR
Park Hall, Chesterfield, S42 7LT
Pear Tree Cottage, Worksop, S80 4LS
Pinfold, Worksop, S80 4LS
Raiswells House, Chesterfield, S43 4ES
Repton Allotments, Derby, DE65 6FX
Repton NGS Village Gardens, Derby, DE65 6FQ
Slatelands House, Glossop, SK13 6LH
Snitterton Hall, Matlock, DE4 2JG
Stanton in Peak Gardens, Matlock, DE4 2LR
The Hollies, Chesterfield, S43 4EH
The Old Vicarage, Matlock, DE4 4NH
The Paddock, Chesterfield, S41 8LZ
The Red Brick House, Chesterfield, S43 4TS
The Smithy, Buxton, SK17 6HD
Watts House, Matlock, DE4 4AR
Woodend Cottage, Matlock, DE4 2LX
Yew Tree Bungalow, Matlock, DE4 5FD
For more information on the National Garden Scheme, including events, how you can get involved, opening dates for the gardens listed above, and more, visit /ngs.org.uk.
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