Open gardens for St Michael's Hospice

Some have opened previously for the Hospice, and others have never been seen before.

Lunches and refreshments will be available at Golf Lodge, 199 Cooden Sea Road, courtesy of Robert and Joey Mitchell. This is an established garden with roses and shrubs, and a perfect central location for the other gardens.

Plant and gift stalls will be found at Herbrand House on Herbrand Walk, home of Valerie Tarry. This has a beautiful garden on the sea-edge with a Mediterranean theme, and with fantastic views to Beachy Head.

The Thatched House has a lovely garden on the edge of Cooden Golf Club, tended by its owner, Valerie Hamilton. The entrance drive is shaded by a short avenue of copper beeches, and other features include a sunken bed, a backdrop of camellias and rhododendrons, a central "wind-shaped" oak tree and views across farmland.

Number 1 Elsted Road, the home of Janet Wilson, has a small garden designed for easy maintenance, and 10 Elsted Road, home of Peter and Janet Germain, has a large corner plot, mostly laid to lawn with a selection of shrubs, two small greenhouses, water feature and vegetable and herb garden.

Blue Cedars on Brackerne Close, is the home of Margaret Dunton, and has large trees and rhododendrons surrounding this tucked-away house. Alistair and Pam Sandison at 50 Birkdale are both keen gardeners, and their garden features a wide packed herbaceous border full of summer colour. Other treats on show are a fuchsia bed, a small cutting garden and the seaside feature.

A return visit is made to Richard and Liz Chown's garden at 1 Ashcombe Drive, with its extravagant planting and curvaceous beds. And Nick Hollingsworth is opening Crabtree Cottage, 17 Collington Lane West, for the first time. This is a small easy-maintenance garden totally re-developed three years ago including camellias, climbing hydrangeas, climbing fruit trees and hardy fuchsias.

Admission to visit all gardens is only 4. Full details of all the gardens opening for the Hospice this summer can be found in the Open Garden booklet on sale at many outlets, including all the Hospice shops in Bexhill, Hastings, Battle and Rye. The information is also available from the St Michael's Hospice website: www.stmichaelshospice.com

Further information available from Suzanne Leonard:

Tel. 01424 456369

Email: [email protected]