Our visit was a great success, not least because it took place on a beautiful sunny evening towards the longest day of the year.

The party was divided into two groups, with half going around the 1.5 acre cottage garden with Sue Beesley whilst the rest of the group looked around the nursery which specialises in hardy herbaceous perennials and of course bought a few plants.

Sue was BBC Gardener of the Year in 2006 and took over Lodge Lane Nursery in February 2007

Since then she has gradually redesigned and replanted a substantial part of the garden which is now showing obvious signs of her influence. New borders are maturing showing great swathes of colour and the original cottage garden was replanted in 2010 and is now resplendant with traditional plants.

A new exotic garden was created in 2009 bringing another different flavour to the gardens and the wildflower meadow was just about at its best, with many native species in full flower. The woodland walk was beautiful even though the bluebells were long gone.

Having visited the gardens previously it is evident they continue to evolve, with new ideas being gradually introduced and a wide variety of plants on display, many of which are for sale in the nursery.

After all our group had been around the gardens we retired to the comfortable coffee area for tea and cakes and a bit of a chat.

The informative website has up to date information including opening dates, events and other facilities offered.