Northamptonshire woman shares her experience of opening her private garden to the public for charity

Joanne Hannam opens her private garden, the Cedar Cottage, to people in Northamptonshire once a year in support of the National Garden Scheme (NGS).

The non-profit organisation opens privately held gardens throughout the country at specific times during the year for charitable purposes.

On Sunday, June 9, people were able to visit five gardens of different shapes and sizes in Harpole, including the Cedar Cottage.

Joanne, 53, said: “It’s a real cottage garden with lots of traditional and interesting features, which is quite secluded, with different seating areas and spots where you can find a bit of sunshine or find a bit of shade at different times of the day.”

Born and raised in Northamptonshire, Joanne has spent the last 28 years residing in Harpole with her husband Spencer and two of their three children.

She said that although she had always been interested in gardening, it really took off once she moved to her current home in Upper High Street.

“It's an old house. It's nearly 300 years old. It's got so much character to it that the garden really needed to have the same sort of character and depth to it as well. That's when I became really interested, and my dad is my constant source of knowledge,” said Joanne.

Joanne has been looking after other people's gardens throughout the years. In 2018, she learned about NGS while on a walk with a friend and their dogs.

NGS, which was established in 1927 to assist district nurses, provides public access to more than 3,500 private gardens in the country and raises money for nursing and health charities through entry fees, teas, and cakes.

Joanne opened her garden to the public for the first time in June 2018. It had many lounging places, an assortment of plants, and a custom-built summerhouse.

“I find it really, really satisfying to get my garden ready in June.

“It's good for your headspace. I just find it very relaxing,” said Joanne.

People were invited to visit Cedar Cottage in Harpole on Sunday, June 9, and four other gardens, including The Close, owned by Michael Orton-Jones.

“It all just works really well together, and they complement each other.

“Every area just changes every few years, and we do something different with it, but it never feels like a chore. It's always exciting to have another new project,” said Joanne.

The gardens in Harpole have now completed their open days for this year.

“The really good thing about open gardens is that you meet some really, really lovely people. The NGS opens so many gardens to the public. So many villages open their gardens in Northamptonshire, and it's all accessible and really reasonably priced.

“If you're interested in gardens and plants, there's nothing better to do than to want to wander around other people's gardens and just see what's achievable in an average-sized garden,” said Joanne.

Take a look below to see people and the Hannam family enjoying the social gathering at the Cedar Cottage in the natural setting of the open-day event.