Open Gardens

"Rain in a narrow band along the South Coast" - and so it proved, for the start of Lymington's Open Gardens day. Inland, brilliant sunshine; here, dismal. Which sorted out the weeds from the hardy perennials. They reckoned about seventy people came through our little plot to be amazed at how much could be crammed into one tiny garden.

Our gate stewards came well equipped for the weather, and kept a cheerful welcome throughout the day.

From time to time Mrs Barnes appeared to welcome visitors (seen here among the apple blossom - very prolific this season). ( I should say perhaps "Appeared  - to welcome visitors" Lynn Truss was right about punctuation)

Many flowers are very late this year, but Rosa Banksia Lutea (aka the yellow Banksian Rose) made a brave show by our back door.. now if you were to come in a week's time it would be really something!  But then, visits to gardens are always either a week too early or a week too late. There are some lovely yellow tree paeonies out just now, and a spectacular blue alpine clematis. Our Quince (Cydonia - not the mock quince, Chaenomeles Japonica) is beginning a good show and created some interest.


Among the many visitors were some old friends, notably Francis and Tina Cumberledge who are just moving back into the area - we look forward to their garden being on the list next year.



Here they are looking thoroughly cheerful - and the weather brightened too as the visits came to an end. Some had managed to visit all ten open gardens. Ours included a strip of "guerilla gardening" - a neglected plot alongside the police station where extra seedlings find a home. Tomorrow we will join others whose gardens were on show to tour all of them ... I think ours must be among the smallest, and maybe the oddest of them all. It is all in a good cause - Lymington Museum and Art Gallery.