NGS Open Day Looming!

Boundary Cottage Open Day: Sunday 15th July

To a garden opener, it’s a time of stress and pleasure. It has dawned on me that the Boundary Cottage Open Day is coming round all too soon. Am I ready? Not really! What will the weather be like? Not wet, I hope. Windy might be worse! At Bolton Percy I opened my own garden and the cemetery for many years.  It was always exhilarating - especially the year the cemetery was on Gardener’s World. There were over a thousand visitors! Talk about stress.

Three years after moving to Seaton Ross, I thought it might be time to open. It might be interesting for people who knew me to see how I made a garden. Different areas have different NGS organizers; they hold your hand and generally support you. I moved over from Biddy Marshall to Sally Bean. Sally came my garden and turned me down! I love you now Sally, but then…I took my bat home and sulked for two years! Fortunately I was persuaded to apply again. I feel quite proud that in the first year, Bolton Percy churchyard was still open and I had two different gardens in the famous yellow book.

The front garden

Because my gardening philosophy starts with sound, regular maintenance, it ought to be easier for me to get the garden ready for visitors. Especially so, as I am relaxed about presentation (no lawn stripes). A gentleman last year said he liked the garden because it was not manicured for the day and looked more like his own. Not quite sure if it was a compliment! Some extra jobs will be needed, such as edging the lawn yet again! On the other hand, certain garden management tasks can be delayed - such as not picking the best-looking fruit and vegetables!

NGS open days have many attractions, including the teas. In fact some people (especially husbands) come only for tea, which is served in our conservatory by the village ladies, in aid of village hall funds. Many also rush to the plant sales on arrival. One visitor said that seeing my plants set out in their little square pots, it was like entering a sweet shop.

The sweet shop full of little pots

We also have a special attraction, a kind of ‘borrowed landscape’. It’s the rheas next door! You might have noticed the peculiar reference in the yellow book  ‘friendly teas next door’. My writing was never very good - it’s meant to read “friendly rheas’! My next post will tell you more about the rheas.

The friendly teas next door!

I will continue to worry. Will that plant last until the day? We old gardeners know there will always be something else coming on, but that doesn’t fill the gap.

How many visitors? Will anybody come? Yes, regulars will be here, fair or foul. Will there to be too many? Now that would be a nice problem to solve!