LOOKING for ideas to brighten up your garden?
You could do worse than head along to the gardens at Beningbrough Hall this weekend.
Not only are the eight-acre gardens looking immaculate, you’ll also be able to take advantage of a spring plant sale - the first at the National Trust property for a few years.
The annual spring plant sale at Beningbrough was once an annual event.
“So a nursery clear-out is long overdue - and and this is your chance to take a bit of Beningbrough home with you!” a spokesperson said.
The eight-acre gardens, located between York and Harrogate, offer inspiration - as well as a few clues as to how the plants you choose should grow.
You can expect to find potted-up perennials from the winter lift and split, grown-on seedlings surplus to requirements and a few shrubs maturing from cuttings.
Garden staff will be on hand to talk to you about plants. Picture: Joanne Parker
The gardens are peat free and many of the plants are grown using homemade compost from gardening waste over the year.
Head Gardener Sam Shipman said: “It’s one of my favourite weekends of the year where the team enjoy talking all things gardening with visitors.
“Hopefully we can find them their perfect plant for that difficult corner and their purchases help to maintain Beningbrough’s gardens for years to come.”
And if you’re going to the plant sale, why not combine your visit with a wander through the gardens, looking out for opening Peonies, Alliums and Iris in the borders and any remaining cherry blossom – depending on the weather.
A little further afield the parkland is carpeted with bluebells at this time of year and new rustic benches open up the Pike Ponds area for a short walk but also offer a place to perch along the way.
Built in 1716, Beningbrough Hall is a grand red brick mansion. The hall and galleries are currently closed for ongoing conservation work to ensure their future for the next 300 years.
The East Formal garden at Beningbrough. Picture: Joanne Parker
But the garden is undergoing something of a renaissance with developments by award winning designer Andy Sturgeon enhancing the already impressive grand borders, walled kitchen garden and extensive wilderness play area. Surrounded by 380 acres of parkland, the wider estate extends to offer walks through hidden woods and along riverside paths.
Entry to the gardens and plant sale is free for National Trust and RHS members, otherwise normal admission charges apply.
The sale runs from 10am – 4pm on Saturday and Sunday May 14 and 15. No booking required.
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