Seven secret gardens in Warrington open to the public this summer

The National Garden Scheme gives unique access to more than 3,500 private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, raising money for nursing and health charities.

This year, visitors can enjoy seven gardens in Warrington with venues in Lymm, Thelwall and Appleton welcoming guests as well as Daresbury, High Legh and Glazebury.

Around £67million has been raised over the years for Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute, with £3.1million being donated last year thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors.

Here are the seven secret venues in Warrington open to visitors this summer:

213 Higher Lane

213 Higher Lane, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 0RN

Visits by arrangement

Established on an acre of grounds and segregated into various planting schemes, there are herbaceous borders, specimen rhododendrons and hydrangeas as well as ferns and grasses, gingers and subtropical plants. There’s a pond, complete with fish and waterfalls surrounded by Japanese acers with far reaching views across fields and woodland, as well as rare and unusual plants and shrubs with wooded pathways.

Admission: Adult: £4.00 Child: Free

Laskey Farm (Liz Mitchell)

Laskey Farm, Laskey Lane, Thelwall, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 2TF

Sunday, April 30, Monday, May 1, Saturday, May 27, Sunday, May 28, Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16

There’s a one-and-a-half-acre garden including herbaceous and rose borders, a vegetable area and a greenhouse as well as parterre and a maze showcasing grasses and prairie style planting. Interconnected pools for wildlife, specimen koi and terrapins form an unusual water garden which features a swimming pond. There is also a treehouse with birds and animals.

Admission: Adult: £6.00 Child: £1.00

10 Statham Avenue (Fiona Lea)

10 Statham Avenue, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 9NH

Monday, May 1, Saturday, May 27, Sunday, May 28, Wednesday June 14 and Wednesday, July 5

This is a beautifully structured quarter-acre south facing terraced garden rising to the Bridgewater towpath. A hazel arch opens to a clay paved courtyard with peach trees and a kitchen herb bed. Rose pillars lead to lush herbaceous beds and quiet shaded areas, bordered by azaleas and rhododendrons in spring, peaceful, pastel shades in early summer and hydrangeas and fuchsias in late summer. There are also some interesting garden buildings.

Admission: Adult: £5.00 Child: Free

15 Park Crescent

15 Park Crescent, Appleton, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 5JJ

Thursday, June 1, Saturday, June 25

An abundant garden containing many unusual plants, trees and a mini orchard. A cascade, ponds and planting encourage wildlife. There are raised beds, many roses in various forms and herbaceous borders. The garden has been split into distinct areas on different levels each with their own vista drawing one through the garden.

Admission: Adult: £5.00 Child: Free

The Homestead (Joe Wainwright)

The Homestead, 2 Fanners Lane, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0RZ

Sunday, June 11 and Sunday, July 9

This compact gem of a garden has been created over the last seven years by a keen gardener and plants woman. Enter past groups of liquidambar and white stemmed birch and there are colour-themed areas with perennials, shrubs and trees. Moving past topiary and obelisks covered with varieties of clematis and roses, visitors can enjoy the colours of the hot border, a decorative greenhouse and a pond.

Admission: Adult: £4.50 Child: Free

Hall Lane Farm

Hall Lane Farm, Hall Lane, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 4AF

Sunday, June 18

The two-acre private formal garden was originally designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd and is arranged in a 'gardens within gardens' style to create a series of enclosed spaces each with their own character and style. The gardens include a vegetable garden, an orchard and Koi pond as well as lawns and a treehouse.

Admission: Adult: £5.00 Child: Free

Weeping Ash Garden

Weeping Ash Garden, Bents Home and Garden, Warrington Road, Glazebury, Cheshire, WA3 5NS

Sunday, August 13, Sunday, September 10 and Sunday, October 29

Created by retired nurseryman and photographer John Bent, Weeping Ash is a garden of year-round interest with a beautiful display of early snowdrops. Broad sweeps of colour lend elegance to this stunning garden which is much larger than it initially seems with hidden paths and wooded areas creating a sense of natural growth.

Admission is by donation