Benefits of Sharing Your Garden with the Community

Opening your garden.

It is a commitment to open your garden to the public, either for the local church or the National Garden Scheme. However, it can be gratifying to share your garden with fellow enthusiasts, with experience flowing both ways. I think it also helps to develop the community spirit we have in this wonderful village where I live. I have found visiting gardens to be one of the main sources of ideas for my own garden.

The Patio ready for opening time.

Opening for the NGS requires any garden to demonstrate a certain level of horticulture and provide at least 40 minutes of interest. If you wish to open, your garden will be inspected by the County Organiser or another volunteer before it is accepted and published in the famous Yellow Book. Our garden passed the inspection over 10 years ago, and as the group co-ordinator, this is now my responsibility for the Hanley Swan Group. It is not as daunting as it sounds; we have an excellent County Organiser in Worcestershire. You may sometimes receive advice on what may need to be done to be accepted. As a garden owner, you choose the dates and times you wish to open and agree on an entrance charge with the County Organiser. This income goes to the NGS. Plant sales and refreshments are optional extras that can be donated to the National Garden Scheme or another charity of your choice. I am sharing the refreshment income with the local British Legion branch this year for the group opening, one thing less for me to do.

Each county team is run by volunteers, who, besides inspecting gardens and producing publicity, increasingly on social media (my volunteer role), also produce the gardens open booklet for the county. These can be found at local garden centres, tourist offices, and libraries. Open gardens information can also be found on the website: NGS.org.uk

2025 was another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme, with a record £3,875,596 donated from funds gathered at garden openings throughout the year. The donations helped thousands of people living with cancer, Parkinson’s, poor mental health, or the pressures of unpaid caring by supporting the nurses, health professionals and case workers who care for them.