Imagine a house overlooking a wonderful lake and a garden full of surprises - this is what you'll find at Little Wantley in Sussex if you visit on an NGS open day! It's a little piece of heaven - brainchild of Hilary Barnes - which has been developed over the last 13 years, to make it what it is today. The lake was excavated in 1997 and is now a peaceful oasis, complete with rowing boat for the family to use. But it's also provided a wonderful canvas and allowed the owners to plant a range of water-loving plants that couldn't flourish without it.
But everywhere you turn in this 4.5 acre garden, you will find something different, like the rope walk (above) flanked by glorious borders brimming with perennials and roses, leading up to the pergola; the Stumpery (below), made up of old roots of oak and chestnut, which took four years to collect. And as Hilary says: "We were stumped on how to begin ... so we lifted the largest roots into place to form the base and then fitted the other pieces into position, like a jigsaw puzzle." She adds that her 93-year old mother still wants to know when the bonfire will be lit!
Everywhere you turn there is another charming vista, like the flower garden below - bursting with colour; a secret garden accessed through a pergola; a cantilevered jetty with its own pergola; and glorious views over the lake, which incorporates two islands. This garden is a masterpiece, and although Hilary says: "Opening your garden is like baring you soul!", she has nothing to worry about because this is one of the best NGS gardens I've ever seen.
Little Wantley opened for the NGS this weekend, one of more than 3,700 that opens to raise funds for cancer-related charities in the UK, so do visit their website to find gardens near you. I had the additional joy of avoiding the crowds because the England v Germany match was on when I went ... so the roads were empty. Not so on the way home after the England defeat, but give me a garden anyday in preference to a football match ... although my husband and son wouldn't agree!
Other notable gardens that are open for the NGS in Sussex next month are Town Place, with its wonderful roses (4th and 11th July), Sussex Prairies (17th and 18th July), Clinton Lodge (5th and 26th July) and Latchetts (16th and 17th July).
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