Wonderful West Berkshire Gardens Raise Funds For Nursing Charities

Canje Grove, Malverleys & The Old Rectory Farnborough – Wonderful West Berkshire Gardens Opening in April to Raise Funds for Nursing Charities!

Sounding like wonderful settings for novels, Canje Grove, Malverleys and The Old Rectory are in fact private gardens that are opening for charity this April. All are situated not far from Newbury, and each provides a superb opportunity to spend a relaxing afternoon out with family or friends. Enjoy walking around these stunning gardens and then round the visit off with delicious teas and cake in beautiful surroundings.

Visitors to NGS gardens will also have the benefit of knowing that their entrance fee is supporting wonderful causes. Run locally by volunteers, the National Gardens Scheme currently donates over £2.6 million annually to its beneficiary charities, which include Marie Curie, Macmillan Cancer Support, Hospice UK, and the Carers Trust.

Canje Grove, RG20 9XQ Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th April
(2 - 5pm). Admission £3.50, children free. Home-made teas.

Yvonne & Simon Sonsino will be opening Canje Grove, their artist and flower arrangers’ garden of just over 1/3 acre on 23rd and 24th April. The garden features multiple colour and plant themed rooms, ranging from cool shady impact planting, courtyard styling near the house/art studio, raised ponds, a wooden Shepherd's hut, a small orchard, rose hedges, peonies, topiary and picket fences, to a gated vegetable garden at the rear complete with hens. In addition the art studio will be open with botanical art and calligraphy.

Malverleys, East End, RG20 0AA Sunday 24th April
(2 - 5pm) Admission £10.00, children free. Tea & cake and tour with Head Gardener included.

Malverleys offers visitors 10 acres of dynamic gardens which have been developed over the last 5 years to include magnificent mixed borders and a series of contrasting yew hedged rooms, hosting flame borders, a cool garden and a pond garden. A vegetable garden with striking fruit cages sits within a walled garden, also encompassing a white garden. Meadows open out to views over the parkland. For this garden, pre-booking is essential - please visit ngs.org.uk/shop-online.aspx or phone 01483 211535 for information & tickets. Ticket availability is limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

The Old Rectory, Farnborough, OX12 8NX Sunday 24th April
(2 - 5.30pm). Admission £5.00, children free. Home-made teas. Plant sale.

In a series of immaculately tended garden rooms, including herbaceous borders, arboretum, boules, roses, vegetable and new bog garden, there is an explosion of rare and interesting plants, beautifully combined for colour and texture. With stunning views across the countryside, it is the perfect setting for the 1749 rectory (not open), once home of John Betjeman, in memory of whom John Piper created a window in the local church.

Awarded Finest Parsonage in England by Country Life and The Rectory Society. Plants and home-made preserves for sale. If you can’t visit in April, The Old Rectory will also be open on Sunday 22 May and Sunday 12 June.

For more visitor information go to the NGS website www.ngs.org.uk