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Thank you to everyone who braved the weather and joined us for our Garden Open Day. Your enthusiasm and community spirit made the day truly special, and it was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the gardens despite the conditions.
What to Expect?
đź‘€ Explore the Gardens: Grab a map and embark on a self-guided tour of the participating gardens. Discover hidden gems and marvel at the beauty of nature across our neighbourhood.
🌻 Inspiration Galore: Explore a wide variety of gardens and gather ideas for your own green space. From native plantings to creative wildlife habitats, you’ll find endless inspiration to make your garden come alive.
🗣️ Community Connection: Connect with fellow garden enthusiasts, share tips and tricks, and forge new friendships within our vibrant community.
📢 Spread the Word: Help us spread the word about Open Gardens Day! Share this event with friends, family, and neighbours who share a love for gardening and wildlife.
Take a closer look at each garden opening on the day, with a glimpse of what makes each one special.
A mature garden developed over 28 years, with pond, trees and shrubs. Our new puppy arrived in January, so gardening has been challenging, the log pile is scattered around and chewed and various holes in the lawn and flower beds!
When I moved in 4 years ago my back garden was infested with Japanese arrow bamboo. After much effort to irradiated it, I was able to start work on my ‘Nuture Nature Wildlife Reserve’ last year. First a no-dig border filled with plants for bees and butterflies, then a pond, dead hedges, bee bank, log piles, wildflower area, homes for bees, swifts, hedgehogs, worms and much more. This year I want to create a tapestry lawn and make the front garden wildlife friendly as well. I’m also looking for any advice on attracting swifts, hedgehogs, and frogs to take up residence.
I have a north facing front garden and south facing rear garden which luckily gives me the opportunity to grow plants for different situations. I’m always looking for new garden projects and have been slowly converting parts of my lawn and borders to add new features . I like to let some plants self seed and have wilder areas, including my mini pond and dead pile (it’s not a hedge it is just a pile). I enjoy having a chat about other people’s garden experiences and swapping tips (especially about composting).Â
Although we have been interested in Wildlife gardening for several years we really improved our garden in 2020. We now have a wild area at the bottom of the garden with frog pond, wood pile, rock pile and a diversity of wildflowers. We have created a cottage garden border with plants for pollinators and a moon garden border to attract bats. Our front garden has been planted with clover and wildflowers. We try to help all wildlife big and small.
Wehave been tending this nature‑friendly allotment for around ten years, using a hybrid no‑dig approach to keep the soil healthy and full of life. The plot is completely organic and free from herbicides and pesticides, making it a safe haven for insects, birds, and other wildlife. It’s a space where food, flowers, and nature all thrive together.
Our garden is a relaxed, wildlife-focused garden full of plants, trees, flowers and small habitats. We garden without chemicals and are trying to make the space as welcoming as possible for pollinators, birds, frogs and insects. There are two ponds, a frog house, frog chimneys, bee hotels, a bug hotel, a living shed roof, rotting wood, a leaf pile, a living potting shed roof, and several small trees including apple, pear and plum. We plant for pollinators, including native wildflowers. We also grow plants to provide food for birds throughout the year, including several berried plants. At the front of the house we have two swift boxes, and in the garden we use a hot compost bin which makes compost in around 30 days. It is definitely not a tidy show garden — more of a plant-packed wildlife garden — but we hope visitors will enjoy seeing the different ways a small garden can support local nature.
Our garden has seen some recent big changes. We used cardboard sheet mulching to replace the previous grass lawn entirely with wood-chips, which is lower maintenance and will help enrich the soil over time. New plants are now growing in those wood-chipped areas. The garden now also includes two mini ponds, raised beds for fruit and veg, hedgehog highways, patio fruit trees, and lots of lavender. A narrow south-facing walkway, previously used to store bins, has become a useful sun-trap for growing tomatoes. Most recently, we tackled the front garden, replacing a weed-prone gravel area with mulch and new plants. It’s still getting established but we’re excited to see it grow.  We’d love to chat about veg growing and turning monoculture lawns into something that gives back to nature.Â
Our garden is a green oasis with a woodland feel. When we moved in it was just fence and lawn – come and see what can grow in 25 years! We are a two adult, two cat household and our garden is used for wildlife habitat and human relaxation. We have an allotment for food production and that takes a lot of time so the garden is low maintenance natives, perennials, shrubs and bulbs.
A garden shared by 3 humans, 1 dog, and lots local wildlife. There is a small lawn area, where the weeds grow freely, bordered by lots of plants. We have lots of native wildflowers mixed in with culinary & medicinal herbs, and fruit trees. There is a small pond, home to a few frogs. There is an old hedgerow to the rear, where the insects, birds, squirrels and foxes like to shelter.  Wildflowers: Betony, scabious, sorrel, self-heal, yarrow, tansy, wild carrot, borage, red campion, cowslips, wild garlic, cowslip, wild garlic, bluebell, dandelion, ribwort plantain, forget me not, wild geranium.  Pond & Bog Plants: Marsh marigold, purple loosestrife, water mint, ragged Robin, flag iris, gypsywort, great willowherb, skullcap  Food forest: Fig, apple, loganberry, wild garlic, sweet woodruff, borage, calendula, fennel, sage, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, chives, allium, hyssop.  Hedgerow: Oak, hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, rowan, fern, ivy. Â
A strangely shaped, relatively small garden that we love to pack with plants. Isn`t there always space for one more? This garden has to work for a family with young children as well as the mad head gardener.
We have a classic pre-war 120ft garden designed for recreation and growing food. Our focus over the last 5 years has been to create a beautiful space that’s restful, fun for kids and filled with healthy plants and wildlife. Please come and check out our wildlife pond, tree platform, new saplings, “no-dig” vegetable patch and composting area. As neighbours, we would love to share ideas on how to better support nature.
It’s a 1 year old garden with secret places for bugs to hide and a haven for bees to drop in for amber nectar. Also knit-knats that hover around the pond and the bird bath for the bats in the evenings.
Get Involved
🦋 Focus on Wildlife: We’re passionate about creating gardens that are beneficial to local wildlife. Whether it’s providing food and shelter for birds, butterflies, or bees, every garden can make a difference in supporting and strengthening our local ecosystem.
🌿 Share Your Garden Story: From established gardens to works in progress, every garden has a story to tell. By opening your garden to the community, you’re sharing inspiration and encouraging others to embark on their own gardening journeys to help grow a more nature-friendly community
🌼 Join the Community Nature Reserve: Be part of a growing network of residents working together to support wildlife across Emersons Green. Your garden can make a difference.
📢 Take Part Next Year: Interested in opening your garden next year? We’d love to hear from you! For more information, contact: Bobbie SunderlandBobbie.Sunderland@emersonsgreen-tc.gov.uk
🌼 Thank you for being part of our Open Gardens Day
Whether you visited one garden or many, we hope you’ve been inspired to welcome more nature into your own space. Together, we can create a thriving network of gardens that support wildlife and bring our community closer.
🌿 Part of Emersons Green Community Nature Reserve
