Opening up the garden for charity is not just for those with large, rambling estates. When it comes to a peep into paradise, all manner of blessed plots and shady bowers – from tiny terrace gardens to community allotments – leave their gates beguilingly ajar.
And it’s people like Penny Snell, London county organiser for the National Garden Scheme, who make it happen.
The result? Hours of delight for a multitude of visitors and vital funds for some leading health and nursing charities, such as Macmillan, Marie Curie and Hospice UK.
“We are always needing new and interesting gardens to show,” says Penny, whose own walled gem at her Victorian home in Cobham, awash with romantic planting, has yielded a riot of coverage in publications such as The English Garden.
“Each one offers something unique and we’re so grateful to all of our owners.”
What makes a good NGS garden?
- An evident element of design
- Horticultural interest
- Well-maintained and tidy
- Friendly and welcoming owner(s)
- Easy accessibility (e.g., parking, bus, and tube)
To sign up
Visit the National Garden Scheme website (ngs.org.uk) for advice on how to get involved. You can also email hello@ngs.org.uk or call the charity on 01483 211535.
Where to find one near you
More than 20 gardens are opening locally this year, including:
- 2 Knott Park House, Wrens Hill, Oxshott on May 17/18
- 7 Woodbines Avenue, Kingston and 15 Catherine
- Road, Surbiton on June 2
- 9 Imber Park Road, East Molesey on June 9
- 5 Pemberton Road, East Molesey on June 30
- Wrens’ Nest Cottage, Ockham Ln, Cobham on July 14
- Hampton Court Palace on July 18 (evening)
- The White House, West End Lane, Esher on Aug 3/4
- The Watergardens, Warren Road, Kingston on Oct 20
Penny's garden: Moleshill House, Cobham – Monday, May 27 (2-5pm), as part of Fairmile Common Gardens.
Check out the NGS website (ngs.org.uk) for all garden openings. Alternatively, buy the yellow Garden Visitor’s Handbook (£17.99) available on Amazon, or pick up a free county booklet at local garden centres and libraries.
History of the NGS
Set up in 1927, the NGS began as a means of supporting underfunded district nursing projects. Sir Winston Churchill and Vita Sackville-West, the author and garden designer, were among the early garden owners who charged' a shilling a head’ to visit on a rare day off work.
After World War II, the charity adopted the colour yellow to symbolise a mood of national regeneration – an inspired piece of branding which has stuck.
When Penny began as an NGS volunteer 43 years ago, there were just 14 London gardens for her to manage: today there are more than 200.
Rooftop terraces, cottage gardens, canal boat plots: all cultivated life is here. In total, more than 3,500 gardens will open for the NGS in 2024 across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. And there’s room for many more.
No garden, stresses Penny, is too small or too quirky to join the scheme, provided only that it meets the essential requirements (above right). Moreover, county teams and head office provide good support via visits, email or phone.
