Bexhill's open gardens

UNUSUAL exotic blooms, traditional english roses, peaceful hideaways, flowerbeds bursting with colour - it was all there to be appreciated by visitors to open gardens on Sunday.

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There were three gardens open to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme which aims to fundraise for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Relief and Help The Hospices.

For the third year running, Liz and Richard Chown took part in the scheme and allowed visitors into their wonderful back garden in Ashcombe Drive with its dense and lovely profusion of colourful blooms.

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Liz, who felt this was the best open day so far with more visitors than ever, admitted that the hard work in the garden is mostly down to her husband.

She said: "I do love plants and wild life but it is really Richard who has created the garden - because he is artistic he has a vision of what goes, and shapes and colours. He is brilliant, he always knows in his mind what it is going to look like when it all comes together. So he is the head gardener and I do the odd bit of weeding and dead-heading and look after the pond and the wildlife."

She had decided to take part in the charitable scheme because this was a chance to let others experience the garden.

"We have always loved gardens and gone to open gardens ourselves. My friends have enjoyed coming round and sitting in the garden, and it seemed a waste not to share it. The fact that the NGS is a caring charity as well made us think of it, and it is nice to share."

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A charming feature of the garden is wooden bench positioned under the thick high hedge that encloses the garden like a wall, shaded by an blossoming arch of clematis, honeysuckle and passionflower.

"It is a lot of work for one day and if the weather is against you, you are sunk," said Liz.

"But we have met some lovely people - I have been given a few phone numbers - and they love looking around. It is really a community thing - people are coming from round the corner, others have been before, even three years running, and there are people who have just moved down and want ideas about what grows down here."

Also taking part in the open garden scheme were Karen and Steve Hewgill, of Cranston Avenue and their neighbours Gill and Mike Stokes.

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Karen works constantly on her garden which is divided into three sections - the first one is humourous, quirky and full of surprises such as the brightly coloured twists and dragonflies hanging from the branches of trees, the skinny metal flowers standing proudly alongside natural blooms, and even a rowing boat complete with a shark devouring an unlucky sailor right down to his wellie boots.

Next comes the tranquility of the middle part of the garden, which is peaceful and still, with quiet places to stop and watch the goldfish underneath the lily pads in the pond. Furthest from the house is a classic cottage garden with strawberries and raspberries and apples as well as vegetables, and an area given to wildlife which is allowed to grow free and untamed.

"It was all vegetable plot," said Karen, "but I have to say I lost the will to live trying to keep it going, so now there is the wildlife area down there and next year we hope to have a hide so we can sit in it and watch what is going on down there."

A silver birch in the garden was the first step to creating a silver wedding bed, as Karen said: "Our silver wedding was last year, so we have put in silver flowers and silver foliage, we just grab anything silver to put in there really."

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She enjoyed the experience of having an open day and commented: "The day is fun but there is a lot of preparation. You worry how it is going to look but it is very nice, and it is nece that people come round and share their ideas as well. It is a hoot."

Next door Gill and Mike Stokes were showing visitors their stunning and exotic garden - they both prefer unusual blooms such as tetrapanux papyrifera, which is a ricepaper plant, and a fringe tree, otherwise known as chionanthus virginicus. They are both devoted gardeners who spend a great deal of time working out there - Mike even photographed plants which came out earlier in the year because of unseasonal warm weather, and created a slide-show on the computer so visitors could appreciate these past glories.

"We never have time to sit in the garden...next weekend we are going to take the time to sit out here," said Gill.

Mike added: "The pleasure is in growing them, these unusual plants that you don't see very often, and watching them grow - such as this black iris, because you won't see a plant that colour very often."

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More traditional is the fullblown english rose Gill planted because she heard about a particular type of old-fashioned rose from her mother who planted one in her own garden when she first married in 1941. She called the rose The Doctor, and remembered its heady fragrance, so Gill snapped one up when she found a supplier at the Chelsea Flower Show and planted it herself.

The couple both enjoyed the open day experience and commented: "The best part of it is having like-minded people coming in - we have had some very nice people."

Tea and homemade cakes were available at their home, as well as the sale of plants which happened at each of the open gardens on Sunday.

Gill added: "I would like to thank all the helpers, because without the support of friends and helpers, we would not have been able to do it."

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