If wet, in the shed

Look, whatever I say about the weather will prove to be good for a laugh by the time you read this. So let me just say that now, as I sit here and look out through the window, it’s sunny and warm. If necessary, just use your imagination.

Water gardens

As I contemplate the hard midday shadows on the stucco wall opposite (how poetic!), I think how nice it would be to visit a garden, one where someone else does all the work and I can saunter and admire (or make catty remarks about the planting if I’m in the mood). What I need is the National Gardens Scheme garden finder. Let’s give it a go.

My gaff is in W1 (don’t get the wrong idea – it’s a bedsit), and I am looking for gardens to visit between the coming weekend and the next one. I’m prepared to travel up to five miles, so I enter this information and press the button. Surprisingly, 13 gardens are open during this period, including seven inter-connected floating barge gardens and a lakeside garden in Regents Park.

These are all private gardens (or private barges, as the case may be), opened on one or more days a year for our delight. Each entry has a description of the sort of garden I will find, with a link to bags of detail on opening hours, charges, and how to get there.

And it’s all for charity. Perfect!

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Home & garden". The National Gardens Scheme is under "Gardening".)

Miscellany of gardens

The Royal Horticultural Society garden finder is rather different: what it finds for me is not anybody’s back garden or barge. Rather it finds public gardens, parks, even the odd garden centre. Actually, it’s a bit difficult to see what links the places listed, apart from the fact that they’re all garden-related and tempting.

I could probably track down the criteria for inclusion, but I think I’ll visit a garden instead. I wonder whether I’ll need my water wings for the barges…

(From the Gateway to websites, select "Home & Garden". The Royal Horticultural Society is under "Gardening", and the garden finder is under "What’s On" at the foot of the page.)

Picture credit: penywise/morguefile.com