Saturday 24th May 2014

‘Garden Open’ – Celebrating the National Gardens Scheme by designer Phil Hirst.

Bursting from a huge ‘Yellow Book’ are a myriad of gardens that open for charity. They range from stately mansions to suburban oases, from quaint cottage hideaways to plantaholics’ labours of love. ‘Garden Open’ reflects the huge contribution made by the National Gardens Scheme and the dedication and skill of the owners that throw open their gates to the public. And of course there’s “tea, cake and plants for sale”!

It is a great privilege to be designing a garden for Investec celebrating the work of the National Gardens Scheme and the funds it raises for charity. Visiting gardens from the NGS’s Yellow Book is always a source of inspiration. The garden I create at GardenUp will reflect the huge range of gardens in and around Sheffield that open for the Yellow Book scheme. I hope that it will also whet the appetite of visitors to the show to go on and see a ‘Garden Open’ in the future.