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The gardens are within a few minutes walk of each other - buy a ticket at the first one you visit.
Combined admission:
Sat 24 May, (6-9pm) £5 with glass of wine.
Sun 25 May (2-6pm) £4. Homemade tea and cakes available.
Plants for sale on both days.
Charities supported
As well as Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, and Help the Hospices, the NGS supports Crossroads, a charity that provides support for carers; the Queen’s Nursing Institute, and County Nursing Associations; and several charities that sponsor/support gardeners. Of the £2 million raised last year, £108,000 came from entry charges and the sale of plants and teas by London garden owners - 22% up on 2006.
A proportion of the funds raised by the Tewkesbury Lodge Garden Group are donated to two local charities, St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, and the Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust. Most of us are well aware of the wonderful work of the Hospice: founded in 1967, the Hospice provides skilled and compassionate palliative cares for around 2,000 patients and their families each year, generally from the South East London community.
Perhaps not so much is known about Sybil Phoenix who started our other charity following the death of her daughter Martha in 1973. The Trust provides a home to young women with difficult backgrounds, and enables them to continue with their education. A woman with an incredibly magnetic personality, Sybil Phoenix came to England from British Guyana in 1956 and has lived in Brockley for over 40 years. Through her own experience of discrimination and prejudice she has worked tirelessly for disadvantaged people in Lewisham, especially for the young. As well as having fostered over 100 children, she is an author, Methodist preacher, Vice-President of the National Council of Women of Great Britain, Director of Umojo Theatre Company, and an active member of countless societies and charities. In 1996 she was granted the Freedom of the Bourough of Lewisham, and in 1972 was the first black woman to be awarded an MBE.
The NGS encourages garden openers to bring their ethos of raising money for charities into the local community. We can't think of a better charity to support locally - and as Sybil says “how lovely to support those young girls through flowers”.
For further information on the national gardens scheme, go to www.ngs.org.uk |
27 Horniman Drive
A small, low maintenance, north-facing front garden with shrubs creating a tapestry of green. Evolving back garden with emphasis on colour harmony using perennials, roses and shrubs. Vegetable areas, greenhouse, views over London and the North Downs. |
53 Ringmore Rise
Corner plot with spectacular views over London. Front garden inspired by Beth Chatto's dry garden, with stunning borders in soft mauves, yellows and white. Rear garden on three levels, with themed beds, some shady, others sunny. Large pond; patio with pergola. |
Coach House, 3 The Hermitage, Westwood Park
Sculptor's mature courtyard and roof garden, crammed full of unusual plants and sculptures. Water features, wildlife interest, vegetables and decorative plants in containers large and small, many of which have been fired in the artist's kiln and are for sale |
30 Westwood Park
Garden designer's sloping creation, with herb garden, water feature, and winding paths. Unusual plant combinations in the borders, and pots and hanging baskets that link patio and garden. Featured in The English Garden, Gardeners' World, Homes & Gardens, and House Beautiful.
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