On Sunday, a group of Garden Company personnel (and family and friends) met up for a sunny afternoon at Serge Hill, the beautiful gardens in Hertfordshire created by Tom Stuart-Smith, MSGD.
The gardens were open as part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) www.ngs.org.uk which is a wonderful opportunity to see gardens of horticultural interest that are usually closed to visitors. The NGS opens thousands of gardens every year and raises money for nursing and other caring charities by doing so.
We were all inspired on Sunday by the contrast between two very different garden areas at Serge Hill:
- The Barn – an enclosed courtyard with tanks of water, herbaceous perennials and shrubs and nearby an amazing exotic prairie meadow (planted in 2010), along with a series of different gardens filled with bulbs, more herbaceous perennials and shrubs.
- Serge Hill house – wonderful views over the ha-ha, a walled vegetable garden which drew much admiration from the Garden Company team, and a long colourful mixed border.
It was also a pleasure to say hello to several friends and colleagues from the SGD who were enjoying the opportunity to visit such a special place in beautiful sunshine.
The NGS operates throughout England and Wales and has a sister organisation in Scotland. Many other members of the SGD (Society of Garden Designers) participate in the scheme and the Society’s website www.sgd.org.uk lists members whose gardens will be opened to visitors during the rest of 2014. For an afternoon combining relaxation with inspiration, it is hard to beat.
The home-made damson ice-cream was excellent too!