Some fabulous gardens to enjoy in July, old favourites and some new ones along the way…

July

Saturday 2nd

Seend House

High Street, Seend, Melksham, SN12 6NR. Maud Peters.
In Seend village. Nr church & opp PO. Sat 2 July (1-6). Combined adm with Seend Manor £10, chd free. Tea. Refreshments in aid of Seend village hall and/or church.

Seend House is a Georgian house with 6 acres of gardens and paddocks. Framed with yew and box. Highlights inc cloud and rose garden, stream lavender, view of knot garden from above, fountain with grass border, walled garden as well as formal borders. Amazing view across the valley to Salisbury Plain.

Seend Manor

High Street, Seend, Melksham, SN12 6NX. Stephen & Amanda Clark. In centre of village, opp village green with car parking for garden visitors. Sat 2 July (1-6). Combined adm with Seend House £10, chd free. Tea. Refreshments in aid of Seend village hall and/or church.

Created over 20 yrs, a stunning walled garden with 4 quadrants evoking important parts of the owners lives – England, China, Africa and Italy, with extensive trelliage, hornbeam hedges on stilts, cottage orne, temple, Chinese ting, grotto, fern walk, fountains, parterres, stone loggia and more. Kitchen garden. Folly ruin in woods. Courtyard garden. Extensive walled gardens, water features, garden structures, topiary and hedging and one of the best views in Wiltshire. Many gravel paths, so wheelchairs with thick tyres are best.

New Wadswick Green    

Corsham, SN13 9RD. Rangeford Villages, www.wadswickgreen.co.uk. Signed from Bradford on Avon & Corsham, directions off B3109. Pls use Westwells Rd entrance, Neston, Corsham. Sat 2 July (9-4). Adm £5, chd free. Light refreshments in The Greenhouse Restaurant.

Wadswick Green Retirement Village’s parkland landscape of formal, informal and wild gardens has interest throughout the year. Seasonal bulbs, flowering shrubs and perennial borders contrast with clipped hedges, mature trees and lawns, attracting the welcomed wildlife. Relax in the Italian Terrace Garden.

Sunday 3rd

Teasel

Wilsford, Amesbury, Salisbury, SP4 7BL. Ray Palmer.
2m SW of Amesbury in the Woodford Valley on western banks of R Avon which runs through the gardens. Sun 3 July (11-5). Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas.

The gardens at Teasel were originally laid out in the 1970s by James Mitchell the publisher who made his fortune from the worldwide best seller ‘ The Joy of Sex ‘. The gardens have been the subject of extensive restoration and new landscaping during 2020. This includes tropical gardens around the swimming pool terrace, long herbaceous borders and a ½m riverside walk.

Wednesday 6th

Manor House, Stratford Tony

Stratford Tony, Salisbury, SP5 4AT. Mr & Mrs Hugh Cookson, 01722 718496, lucindacookson@stratfordtony.co.uk, www.stratfordtony.co.uk.
4m SW of Salisbury. Take minor road W off A354 at Coombe Bissett. Garden on S after 1m. Or take minor road off A3094 from Wilton signed Stratford Tony & racecourse. Wed 6 July (2-5). Adm £6, chd free. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic. Visits also by arrangement May to Sept.

Varied 4 acre garden with year-round interest. Formal and informal areas. Herbaceous borders, vegetable garden, parterre garden, orchard, shrubberies, roses, specimen trees, lakeside planting, winter colour and structure, many original contemporary features and places to sit and enjoy the downland views. Some gravel.

Friday 15th

New The Old Mill

Reybridge, Lacock, Chippenham, SN15 2PF. Trudy Clayton.
Limited parking in nearby field. Alternatively park in the Lacock car park & walk into Reybridge which will take about 20mins. Once there, follow the NGS signs. Fri 15, Sat 16 July (10-7). Adm £5, chd free. Home made savouries, home baked cakes & cream teas. Ice creams. Hot & cold drinks.

The Old Mill dates back to Doomsday and is surrounded by the River Avon. It lies in a very tranquil, picturesque setting, in the heart of beautiful Wiltshire countryside in the hamlet of Reybridge, which is within the parish of the NT

village of Lacock. There are lots of areas to wander or to sit and relax, taking in and enjoying the wildlife all around you.

Saturday 16th

New The Old Mill – As above

New Scots Farm

Pinkney, Malmesbury, SN16 0NZ. Mr & Mrs Martin Barrow, LJikoB@gmail.com.
5m W of Malmesbury on B4040 towards Sherston. Take L at Pinkney Xrds, follow road over a bridge and up a hill. Sat 16 July (10-5). Adm £5, chd free. Cream teas. Visits also by arrangement Apr to Sept for groups of up to 12.

Across 7 acres a colourful perennial border, a white garden, a Japanese garden, a Spanish garden and follow a path through a wildflower meadow to a pottery studio and koi pond in this haven of tranquillity. Garden ware, pottery and sculptures on display.

Sunday 17th

Cherry Orchard Barn

Luckington, SN14 6NZ. Paul Fletcher & Tim Guard.
Cherry Orchard Barn is ¾m before the centre of SN14 6NZ, at a T junction. Passing the Barn is ill-advised, as turning rapidly becomes difficult. Sun 17 July (1-5). Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas. Refreshments in aid of Dogs for Good.

Charming 1 acre garden created over past 8 yrs from the corner of a field, with open views of surrounding countryside. Containing 7 rooms, 3 of which are densely planted with herbaceous perennials, each with individual identities and colour themes. The garden is described by visitors as a haven of tranquillity. Largely level access to all areas of garden.  Some gravel paths.

Horatio’s Garden

Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre, Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Odstock Road, Salisbury, SP2 8BJ. Horatio’s Garden Charity, www.horatiosgarden.org.uk.
1m from centre of Salisbury. Follow signs for Salisbury District Hospital. Please park in car park 10, which will be free to NGS visitors on the day. Sun 17 July (2-5). Adm £5, chd free. Tea and delicious cakes – made by Horatio’s Garden volunteers – will be served in the Garden Room. Refreshments in aid of Horatio’s Garden.

Award winning hospital garden, opened in Sept 2012 and designed by Cleve West for patients with spinal cord injury at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre. Built from donations given in memory of Horatio Chapple who was a volunteer at the centre in his school holidays. Low limestone walls, which represent the form of the spine, divide densely planted herbaceous

beds. Everything in the garden designed to benefit patients during their long stays in hospital. Garden is run by a Head Gardener and team of volunteers. SW Regional Winner, The English Garden’s The Nation’s Favourite Gardens 2019. Designer Cleve West has 8 RHS gold medals. At 3pm there will be a short talk from the Head Gardener about therapeutic gardens and the work of Horatio’s Garden.

The Parish House

West Knoyle, Mere, BA12 6AJ. Philip & Alex Davies.
From E on A303 take signpost to West Knoyle at petrol station. Continue down hill and past church, take first R signposted Charnage, continue 1m to end of lane. Parking in field on L. Sat 23 Apr, Sun 17 July (2-5). Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas. Refreshments in aid of St Mary the Virgin, West Knoyle.

The garden at The Parish House is small and south facing surrounded by hedges protecting it from the exposure of a high wide open landscape beyond. The garden is laid out with gravel to encourage a self-seeding natural look but there are also roses and herbaceous perennials as well. The look is held together with topiary. Beyond this garden there is a larger area of lawn, trees and developing bulb cover (Camassias in May). Large conservatory greenhouse containing mature Muscat grapevine and pelargoniums. Small vegetable garden. Country Living Nov 2021. Level but gravel surfaces, some lawn.

Twigs Community Garden

Manor Garden Centre, Cheney Manor, Swindon, SN2 2QJ. TWIGS, 01793 523294, twigs.reception@gmail.com, www.twigscommunitygardens.org.uk. From Gt Western Way, under Bruce St Bridges onto Rodbourne Rd. 1st L at r’about, Cheney Manor Industrial Est. Through estate, 2nd exit at r’about. Opp Pitch & Putt. Signs on R to Manor Garden Centre. For NGS: Sun 22 May, Sun 17 July (12-4). Adm £3.50, chd free. Home-made teas. For other opening times and information, please phone, email or visit garden website.

Delightful 2 acre community garden, created and maintained by volunteers. Features inc 7 individual display gardens, ornamental pond, plant nursery, Iron Age round house, artwork, fitness trail, separate kitchen garden site, Swindon beekeepers and the haven, overflowing with wildflowers. Excellent hot and cold lunches available at Olive Tree café within Manor Garden centre adj to Twigs (pre booking required) 01793 533152. Featured in Garden Answers & Wiltshire Life magazine and on Great British Gardens website. In Top 100 Attractions in SW England. Most areas wheelchair accessible. Disabled WC at Garden Centre.

By Arrangement   www.ngs.org.uk/wiltshire-by-arrangement

Arrange a personalised garden visit with your club, or group of friends, on a date to suit you. See individual garden entries for full details.

Beggars Knoll Chinese Garden   – June and July

Bluebells – April to September 

Cadenham Manor – March to October

Cockspur Thorns – May to July 

Cottage in the Trees – April to September    

Duck Pond Barn – June to August        

Gasper Cottage – May to September  

Hazelbury Manor Gardens – May to September     

Kettle Farm Cottage – June to September     

Manor House, Stratford Tony – May to September

Pythouse Kitchen Garden – May to October 

New Scots Farm – April to September

1 Southview – May to September        

Trantor House – May to July      

West Lavington Manor – January to December       

5 Whitehorn Drive – May to September        

Wudston House – June to September

It is always best to check the website before leaving for your garden visit with The National Garden Scheme.

www.ngs.org.uk