Summer is the time for visiting Open Gardens. The following pictures were all taken at various gardens in the village of Datchworth, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, about 45 minutes drive to the north of London.. A group of about 15 villagers had all decided to open their gardens for charity on this day. To learn more about the National Gardens Scheme please visit our 'Open Gardens' page.

This garden was stunning. Both the front and rear gardens were a mass of roses. I asked the owner how he achieved such wonderful results. He said that he had experimented with organic gardening, but in the end he found that the only way to get these results was to attack the pests with a large dose of chemical spray! 

Gorgeous yellow blooms, and the scent was lovely too. And not a bug in sight.

Some climbing roses in the rear garden, and an immaculate lawn.

In addition to the roses, this householder also had a neat vegetable garden, full of produce, ready to harvest. It all looked wonderfully fresh and healthy.

This garden was rather deceptive. The  house was quite understated at the front, but the rear garden was very different. It was lovely. The owners had created a series of rustic wood rose arches, with gravel paths beneath.. All the visitors I heard were admiring the style of the garden and the beautiful planting of the beds and arches.

The rear of the house was traditional in style, with exposed timbers. And another immaculate lawn. Everyone puts in a lot of work to ensure that their garden is looking its best for the 'big day' of the garden opening.

Such a pretty pink and purple colour scheme. Pretty herbaceous plants, including lupins and hollyhocks, were planted  around the bases of the arches, carefully picked to complement the colour of the roses.  

A spot to stop and admire the garden.

The spire of a local church could be seen in the distance. Many people were walking between the different houses in order to view the gardens.

This magnificent fuchsia was attracting a lot of attention from visitors.  Some of the smaller gardens became quite crowded later in the day.

A shady corner of the garden.

Clematis are very popular in British gardens, and blend in very well with roses and border plants. This one is climbing up the stump of an old tree.

Are grown-ups also allowed to have a tree house like this one? Probably not!

There were a number of paths through the fields which led to different parts of the village, and to the gardens that were open to the public on that day.

This large house had a huge pond along one side of the building. It was beautifully planted with water lillies.

The rear garden of the same house was huge and full of colour and interest. It was wonderful! 

The garden was divided into many sections or 'rooms', each filled with interesting plantings. 

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Even this small 'potting shed' is surrounded with an interesting mixture of green and yellow plants, all of which blend together perfectly.

It really was the perfect weekend for this garden to be on display. Everything was in full bloom. Heavenly.

Gorgeous roses!

Roses everywhere.

As part of the Open Gardens event the local group of Morris men performed some of their dances  at various times during the day, on the village green, accompanied by an accordion player. Can you spot the horse? The men have bells on their legs, which ring as they dance.

At the end of the afternoon the pub was becoming busy with thirsty customers. The name on the pub sign 'Greene King'  is a chain that owns many pubs in Britain and brews its own beer, with names such as 'Old Speckled Hen'. Visit their website for more details - www.greeneking.co.uk . The pub is called 'The Plough' which is quite a common name for a rural pub. 

The Morris man in the picture seems to be walking past the pub, but I expect quite a few of them dropped into the pub after all their dancing.