Open Garden June 2025

Open Garden June 2025

It's 2 years since we last opened our garden - Anika and Gavin who organise the Knoll Open Gardens weren't able to do so last year so we had a rest. The date was a couple of weeks later this year - 22 June.

This time we were one of eight gardens with Anika and Gavin being the lead garden, providing refreshments whereas all we had to do was allow people in, having checked they either had a ticket or taken money from them for their entrance fee.

We raised money for two causes: Knoll Residents Association Community Garden Project and Petts Wood Play Group for Children with Special Needs.

A total of £1,450.98 was raised on the day, a huge increase on the £945 in 2023.

Thank you to all who supported us

Most of the photos were taken before the day because I always run out of time on open day! There are no photos of our 80+ visitors - I was too busy answering questions and accepting compliments about the garden.

There was quite a bit more publicity this year with posters and postings on social media. Chris pulled a map together that we put near our garden entrance so people could look at it / photograph it if they wanted to see where the garden were in relation to each other.

We put all the usual signs up - "Care - Water", "No Entry" and "No Smoking". I still think it's really strange that we have to put an A4 sized poster warning people about the pond when the pond itself is 20 ft x 9 ft. Thankfully, nobody fell in on the day.

My lovely friends covered the "front desk" for us so Jonathon only had to do the first hour. It's not a very exciting job but they all seemed to enjoy it, chatting to their partner (they work two at a time because it helps their hour go faster).

The sun umbrella was put up and all the cushions put out so people had plenty of places for people to have a sit down out of the sun if they wanted to. Quite a few took advantage of the various benches and chairs but nobody fancied sitting on the sun loungers in the sun (far too hot, albeit not quite as hot as the day before).

The bench above right usually faces the pond but I used it as a block to stop people going behind the fence, to my shed door, the pond filter etc.

Unfortunately, the pond filter stopped working a few weeks before we opened. The new one was due to be delivered the day after but it meant the pond was a bit dark and there was no sound of running water. The bubble pumps were running to make sure the fish had enough oxygen and the fish came up to say hello when some of the younger visitors helped me feed them.

I was particularly pleased with the hostas this year. I'd put a decent layer of coffee grounds on the pots just as the plants were peeping through the soil. That helped to keep the snails and slugs away so the plants were still looking healthy even though there were a few chews in them (better than the lacy effect of earlier years).

A lot of our visitors were very complimentary about the way we had left the "quadrants" in the grass to grow long whilst having the paths cut through. Needless to say, the pretty Corncockle and Poppies that had been there until last week had all faded away!

The path down the left hand side of the garden had plenty of different textures with a few splashes of colour. The garden has more shrubs than pretty flowers and no bedding because that needs too much water which is scarce resource these days.

It was interesting that most of our visitors went round the garden in a clockwise direction so came up the path on the left of the garden rather than down it. A few wandered round both ways (as I would in a new garden) and some zigzagged across the grass and generally wandered about.

The dark red of the Cotinus looked lovely in the sunshine, with the added benefit of a few smokey flowers. It works well with the red acer - they are about opposite each other at the bottom corner of the left hand path.

The dark reds also work well with the pale pink of the Geraniums and the yellow fronds of the Lady's Mantle in that area.

From there, the path takes you past the pampas, duly cut back for the day to make sure nobody got lacerated.

geranium

spiraea

The photo on the left shows the view from this path back towards the house.

The pond is at the lowest level of the garden and is accessed from this area. The veg beds are behind the pampas and the fruit cage and strawberry beds at the end of this path.

The Strawberries were finished by the time we opened - they were really sweet and juicy this year thanks to the warm Spring.

I'd picked the Gooseberries a few days before we opened (didn't want anyone to be tempted). They were also really sweet - we could eat them raw with no added sugar - really yummy.

Another experiment this year was to grow Runner Beans and Courgettes in old recycling bins. Both were doing well with lots of veg looking promising but this area wasn't open to the visitors.

Back on the path and up the right hand side of the garden this time.

The rose trellis leads from the grass to this path. Needless to say, most of the roses had come and gone by the time we opened.

The Hebes were just coming in to flower as were the Hydrangeas in the beds.

garden

The Acanthus was mixed this year. A couple were doing really well but one was badly affected by powdery mildew - clearly didn't like the hot, dry weather. I only water the food beds and the plants in pots - the rest of the garden has to fend for itself. Occasionally, the Hydrangeas in the beds have a bucket of water poured over them if they are looking really sick but they hadn't needed it up to opening day.

The path takes us back to the patio and the house.

The California Poppies and Erigeron were providing a bit of colour at that end of the garden.

garden

The ramp was well used by people with push chairs and Mike came on his mobility scooter so could get down to the main part of the garden to have a good nose around.

The Hydrangeas in pots were just coming into flower and these lovely Poppies had self seeded in one of the beds near the patio.

As is often the case in our garden, the trees were much admired and commented on.

One last panorama and it was time to call it a day.

I popped round to Anika's with the day's takings but didn't stay to celebrate with my fellow garden openers because I was all peopled-out by then.

A big thank you to everyone who supported us

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