Out & About
Unmissable events, news and the very best gardens to visit this month
David Austin Roses Open WeekendWest Midlands, 15-16 June
David Austin Roses is opening exclusively for the National Garden Scheme for one weekend in June, when, for the first time, visitors will also be given special access to the private garden of the late David Austin Senior. In the wider gardens, over 700 rose varieties will be in full bloom, and there’ll be music, games, teatime treats and the launch of the new ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ mug by Emma Bridgewater in aid of the NGS. Tickets: £10 – pre-booking essential. davidaustinroses.co.uk
Sweet Pea Season at EastonLincolnshire, from 26 June
Visitors to Easton Walled Gardens near Grantham can admire hundreds of sweet peas from late June into early July during the garden’s famous Sweet Pea Season. Included in this year’s display are antique varieties from the 19th century as well as modern cultivars exclusive to the gardens. Adults £10. visiteaston.co.uk
Endellion Lycett GreenGloucestershire, 5 June – 16 September
Thyme, the Cotswold hotel and estate, will host an exhibition of artist Endellion Lycett Green’s botanical paintings this summer in its restored Tithe Barn. Included in the show is a series of large-scale oil paintings celebrating the diversity of flora in Thyme’s water meadows, which visitors can explore during a series of guided walks with the British Trust for Ornithology. Thyme’s gardens will also open for the National Garden Scheme for the first time this year, on 5-9 August. thyme.co.uk; ngs.org.uk
NGS Garden Swafield HallNorfolk
A cutting garden, pear tunnel, orchard and a parterre designed by Martin Perry feature in the four-acre surrounds of this 16th-century manor house with Georgian additions. A highlight is the oriental garden with nine flower beds based on a Persian carpet design. Swafield Hall, Knapton Road, Swafield, North Walsham, Norfolk, NR28 0RP. Opens 22-24 June, 10am-5pm. Adults £6; children free. ngs.org.uk
London Open GardensLondon, 8-9 June
Over 100 London gardens open their gates for a weekend in June for charity London Parks and Gardens (LPG), which is affiliated to The Gardens Trust. Now in its 25th year, London Open Gardens this year includes the seven-acre Charterhouse Courtyard Gardens (left), while the Spurgeon Estate Gardens in Lambeth and the Quill Street Allotments in Gillespie Park are newcomers. “City gardens provide pleasure and refreshment but are also cruc
