Mary Mary Creates invites you into their garden to help Hospice in the Weald

The horticultural showpiece at 61 Lavender Hill in Tonbridge, which will be accessible from 1pm-5pm, has proved a very popular open garden since it first went on show for the Pembury hospice in 2015.

Sarah and Dave Goodall, who run the business, have tended the garden since they moved into the house in 2011 – but it had been cultivated by the previous owner for 60 years.

Sarah said: “You could be forgiven for wondering how this oasis of colour and quirkiness found itself hidden behind the Victorian terraces of south Tonbridge.

“In our garden you can expect the unexpected – the garden is made of many parts and is where we indulge our own imaginations and experiment with ideas.

“The ethos is one of upcycling, working with Mother Nature and supporting our native wildlife as well as sustaining our own family.

“Seating areas invite you to relax and enjoy the vista even before you reach the tiny cafe offering refreshments at the end of the garden.”

She added: “We constantly experiment with new ideas and planting so we can confidently specify materials and plants to our clients.

“We also use the space to train and teach our team members, and all of them have a great deal of input into its various quirky spaces.

“We do invite clients that we are working with to visit to see what can be achieved, so in that regard I guess it is a show garden.

“But it is also very much a family space – we were married in the garden.”

Talking of the importance of the Hospice in the Weald for the local community, Sarah said: “This is a charity close to our family’s hearts and we know that many of you will have also had first-hand experience of the support that it provides to an entire family when a loved one is seriously ill.

“Last year, thanks to the amazing support and overwhelming generosity of our friends, family and community, we managed to raise nearly £2,000.”

Entry to the garden costs £5, with children under 12 free of charge. Dogs are welcome on a lead. Donations of cake, or items for the craft stall and raffle are gratefully received.

Parking is limited in Lavender Hill, but there will be a parking space outside the house for dropping off and picking up those who find walking a difficulty. There are spaces nearby in Drayton Road or Pembury Road.

www.marymarycreatesgardens.co.uk

 

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