Bayford Open Gardens

A visit to the village of Bayford, during their Open Gardens day one summer. Bayford is a pretty village set amongst the lovely countryside of Hertfordshire, to the north of London. 

These private gardens were opened for the day to the public, in order to raise money for charity. For more information about Open Gardens please visit our Open Gardens Fact File page.

 

The first of the many houses we visited.

This mixture of pale flowers in front of a sundial is unusual but very effective.

No one can resist the scent of a rose!

Some of the locals wonder what is happening ...

Pots on a patio.

A flock of concrete sheep. I saw a few statues in the gardens. Perhaps they have been made by a local artist.

There were plants for sale in several of the gardens.

This old chimney pot makes a lovely container for pansies.

I loved these dancing hares.

Such an elegant border; white roses and lavender.

How lovely to have your own private lake!

I liked this pretty pink house. It almost looks like a doll's house.

Pale pink roses and geraniums look lovely against this weathered brick wall.

What a dream! At the end of this avenue of roses and lavender there is a charming seat that we show in another picture.

On the village green the Women's Institute were holding a cake sale. You had to be quick. They soon sold out.

Home-made cakes for sale on the Women's Institute cake stall. I tested one or two. They were delicious!

A very smartly dressed brass band was playing in this large garden. They were very good.

This was a very charming old cottage. The window boxes were in full bloom. Yellow signs like this one show you which gardens are open.

Just the spot for a relaxing cup of tea and a chat.

A pretty herbaceous border.

As you walked down the lanes from one house to the next you could catch glimpses of the surrounding countryside.

This is the house that had the band playing in the back garden. It's huge!

This was a very charming old cottage. The window boxes were in full bloom. Yellow signs like this one show you which gardens are open.

As you walked down the lanes from one house to the next you could catch glimpses of the surrounding countryside. This was one of the biggest and best-organized garden days I have been to. There was lots to do and see and everybody was very welcoming and happy to chat about their gardens. The gardens were clearly marked and there was a small bus taking people to the furthest gardens. Walks in the countryside were also mapped out for people to follow. There were local bands playing in several gardens and a number of plant stalls. Teas and cakes were available in quite a few gardens. The local school and hall were open and serving ploughman's lunches (see Food and Drink section) and other snacks. There was a tent selling home made cakes too. The local pub was so busy serving lunches that it was running out of food. The gardens were open for most of the day and you really needed a lot of stamina and to be there early if you wanted to see them all. It really was a very enjoyable day out.