The National Garden Scheme (NGS) has raised £45 million for nursing and caring charities since its foundation in 1927.

It’s a simple fundraising model but it seems to work well. Funds are raised by visitors paying to view an open garden and perhaps also enjoy some home-made cake or buy a plant, with 80p of every £1 raised being donated to the annual beneficiaries.

Normally the garden owners donate the total raised at their open day to this independent charity founded by the Queen’s Nursing Institute and their generosity has been responsible for the millions of pounds that the charity is able to donate every year.

A Pheasant Surprise

Most weekends you will find one open in your area and it’s a great way of getting to see a garden that may normally be hidden away from public view.

Recently, I popped along to Pheasant Farm in Oare. The garden was redesigned in 2008 and has a walled garden surrounding a farmhouse with amazing views from the infinity lawn over the Oare marshes and creek.

It’s open again on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 with the adjoining Pheasant Barn, which is a formally designed garden with a contemporary twist.

Have you ever thought about opening your garden for charity? I know I have, I think it would be a very rewarding experience and would certainly concentrate the mind! But first you really need to ask yourself a few questions:

Is your garden interesting & attractive?

Is your garden well maintained?

Has it got ‘character’?

Can you offer refreshments?

Do you enjoy talking about your garden?

Having just read that check list think I might apply!

For the Love of Lilacs

While walking around Pheasant Farm I was hit by an overpowering scent. It was of course a lilac which so many of us love the scent, of but it would appear not many of us seem to have them growing in their gardens?

I wonder why this is? Perhaps it’s the syringa’s relatively short flowering period but it’s great for that in-between time when spring flowering bulbs are nearly over but summer flowers are yet to reach full bloom.

With pruning after flowering only really needed every other year they are pretty low maintenance and incredibly hardy at low temperatures. For a purple-red variety try ‘Charles Joy’ for a white double ‘Madame Lemoine’ and for a paler shell pink try ‘Lucie Baltet.

To extend the life of cut lilac flowers in the vase: remove all foliage except that surrounding the flowers then sear the stem end for 30 seconds in boiling water before then popping them into cold water then arranging.