Open GardensGardens you can visit

We visited this nursery in 2007. The owner Sarah Wilks is a lovely lady and has the most amazing array of plants.
I of course love my Crocosmia and she has a very very good selection.
All in all it was a very worthwhile trip.

Welcome Reg. Lucky you, living in St. Brelade. Many years ago, I remember taking several wonderful holidays along St. Brelades Bay. It's such a lovely place. Love the look of your garden and have nothing but admiration for you opening your garden every day. We open twice in April for the NGS and then have about three solid weeks of private visits every day, sometimes twice a day, for up to 50 people at a time. It really is hard work greeting and catering for so many, but you do meet some lovely people, don't you. Will check out your website. Hope you enjoy Grows on You as much as we do.

Having spent the last week in London during one of it's hottest periods (June 2009) - Regent's Park is a major oasis of calm, peace, fresh air right in the middle of one of the world's busiest cities.

The 487 acre (2 km²) park is mainly open parkland which supports a wide range of facilities and amenities including gardens, a lake with a heronry, waterfowl and a boating area, sports pitches, and children's playgrounds. The north-east end of the park contains London Zoo and the headquarters of the Zoological Society of London. There are several public gardens with flowers and specimen plants, including Queen Mary's Gardens in the Inner Circle, in which the Open Air Theatre is located; the formal Italian Gardens and adjacent informal English Gardens in the south east corner of the park; and the gardens of St John's Lodge. Queen Mary's Gardens in the Inner Circle were created in the 1930s, bringing that part of the park into use by the general public for the first time. The site had originally been used as a plant nursery and had later been leased to the Royal Botanic Society.

The Park is built on land belonging to the Abbess of Barking and was bought by Henry VIII as hunting land, later leased to the Duke of Portland, and eventually granted to the Crown. John Nash, the architect, was hired in 1811 to create the most elegant of all London's housing estates drawing up plans for 56 villas (of which only eight ever got built) and classical crescents built around two circuses in the 487 acres of parkland; to be named in honour of the Prince Regent (later George IV in 1820). The Park was fully opened to the public in 1841.

There is a wonderful collection of named roses in Queen Mary's Garden (ideal if you want to check out the scent, colour and vigour), some very inventive bedding and planting (some of which you might only get away with in London's micro-climate), and the recreation of William Andrews Nesfield's (a major Victorian garden designer) plans for the Avenue and English Gaardens is a delight.

This is a public garden space in which you can find peaceful corners, the sound of the city vanishes and can be inspired by some very traditional planting as well as some exciting original ideas. Well worth a visit if you are in London.

www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/regents_park/

Best known for their 2500 sq. foot butterfly wing, Reiman Gardens is located on the Iowa State campus. A large collection of Dr. Griffith Buck roses is included in the 14 acre site.

The home of the Sitwell family who personally ensure the high quality of plant and garden care.
A joy in May, the azaleas were nearly over. The handkerchief tree in full 'bloom'.
Plan to visit again in August to see the herbaceous borders, whose skeleton promised great things.
Excellent courtyard cafe, several art and museum diplays.

I have been Twice now.My blog on blogspot has over two hundred photos of Harlow Carr.It is a fabulous 58 acre site, with Harlow Beck cutting the valley in Half.I want to see it in all seasons too.I will go back in August too.

We went back to Hyde Hall last week. I was very impressed with the colourful perennial displays in the extensive flower beds all the way up the hill to the Dry Garden. The more recent part of the
Dry Garden is coming on very well indeed. The garden in front of the old farm house was really full of zingy colour. A real treat. The pond-near the house seems to have been cleared of all the lillies that were a bit exuberant when I last went. It seemed stable for a long time. It had huge colourful carp that were very tame and came up to be fed. The overflow grass car park was in nearly full use and families were having picnics in round the edges. So the land is being better utilised, where before one just drove through it.

Yes, its more relaxed I felt, really enjoyed the Veg plot, well worth a visit.

I have been to RHS Wisley today with my college crew, and i would like to say, i was really excited about going. Have been studying RHS Lev 2 in Horticulture, and today has really expanded my mind. Most stunning plant of the day for me was The Bird of Paradise in the glasshouse, but even though we have attended a little pre-season, i was most impressed with the display. Would highly recommend a visit by any new gardeners out there, or just anyone who wants a nice leisurely day out... Much love TLG