Award Winning Garden

Determined to make the most out of open house weekend, I was up early on Sunday morning (having missed out on Saturday) to make sure I got to see the award winning garden on the roof of 201 Bishopsgate.

 I'm still trying to fathom if this was some kind of joke.  "It's a wild garden" the security man informed me.  "No it's a bunch of dead weeds" I replied.  Although a grey foggy morning the view wasn't bad, so at least that gave us something to look at.

Flowers

A wild garden and queuing for the butterfly house.  More from the RHS flower show.

Shakespeare and Gardens

A stunning day for the opening of the RHS flower show at Hampton Court.  There is plenty to do and see plus some great entertainment, music, bands and a bit of Shakespeare. 

A Palace Garden

Home to the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 800 years, Lambeth Palace is a real gem hidden away behind a brick wall just meters away from Lambeth Bridge and the Thames.

It wasn't a planned visit, in fact I was in the area on a totally different mission when I saw the place gates open.  The curious me can never resist an open door and on this occasion was rewarded with an adventure wandering around the 13 acres of grounds surrounding the palace.

The gardens were given to the people of Lambeth on an indefinite lease by Archbishop Frederick Temple in 1901.  Managed by volunteers you can visit on the first Wednesday of the month between March and October for a wee donation of £4.

I came away with a jar of honey made on the estate, made by their "very happy bees" and a determination to visit the inside on an allocated day.  

The Woods

A secret woods in central London.  Just a block away from the busy Cally Rd (Caledonian Rd), the gate was open and we were invited in as part of the "open gardens for charity."
NGS (National Gardens Scheme) was founded in 1927, that first year 609 people opened their gardens to the public charging them a shilling each and raising £8,000 for the nursing institute.   The organisation has grown as has the number of people who generously open their gardens throughout the year, with £23 million raised over the past ten years for various charities.

Carlton House Terrace Gardens

So Sharon the next place you are visiting is Carlton House Terrace Gardens.  Originally part of a Royal Deer hunting park and later part of King Charles II's garden.  The original Carlton House was the London residence of the Prince Regent until George IV.  The house was demolished and street redesigned by John Nash who replaced it with a series of smart houses for those of the highest social rank.

Today they are all private gentlemen's clubs.
In one corner of the garden stands the statue of the Grand Old Duke of York.

That nursery rhyme stuck with me for the rest of the afternoon!

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of
(Everyone stands up)

The hill and he marched
Them down again. Everyone sits down

And when they were up they were up.
(Everyone stands up)

And when they were down they were down.
(Everyone sits down)

And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
(Everyone half-way up)
(repeat)

Artful Nature Exhibition

Since 2012 the Chelsea Fringe festival has been running along side the Chelsea Flower Show as an alternative for those interested in gardens and gardening.  As part of the festival the exhibition "Second Nature" will showcase the work of  national and international artists with their take on nature.  Showing at Espacio Gallery 22 May to 3 June.

Myatt's Fields

Myatt's Park is now a heritage site so will be enjoyed by future generations, thanks to the efforts of the local residents and the Minet family.  The Minet family were among the Huguenots who fled France in the 17th century.  A century later Hugh Minet purchased the estate that this park was a tiny part of.  Another century on his descendant James Minet who was very philanthropic gifted this land from the estate to create a public park.  It was named after Joseph Myatt a tenant market gardener who grew cabbages, rhubarb and strawberries here in the 19th century.

Allotment Kensington Gardens

Wander in to the allotment in Kensington Gardens, you can ask the experts advice, just relax or strike up a conversation with the individually named hens.  You'll feel like you are in the countryside not the centre of London.