Beautiful spring gardens in Derbyshire that are well worth a look on open days for the National Garden Scheme

Spring is a great season to see pretty flowers in bloom and a sign that warmer days are on their way. Make the most of the sunshine by taking a wander around the lovely outdoor spaces that are supporting the National Garden Scheme.

Donations from the public in return for entry to the gardens will mean that the organisation can continue to support charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute. In 2024 the National Garden Scheme handed over more than £3.5million to good causes.

Two gardens in Barlborough will be opening their gates on Sunday, April 27 from 11.30am until 4.30pm. They are at The Hollies on Clowne Road and Lindway at Chesterfield Road. Combined admission is £5, children free. Home-made teas available.

A beautiful large garden with sweeping lawns, large flowerbeds, a wildlife pond, a bog garden and woodland at 27 Wash Green, Wirksworth will welcome the public on Sunday, May 4, from 11am until 4pm. There will be tea, coffee and cake available. Admission £5, children free.

Tissington Hall will support the National Garden Scheme by opening its gardens on the two bank holiday Mondays, May 5 and 26, from 12 noon to 3pm. Check out the stunning rose garden on the west terrace amid five acres of grounds. Admission £8 and £4 (child).

Renishaw Hall’s stunning Italianate gardens feature rose gardens, the National Collection of Yuccas and sculptures. Explore woodland walks too on Wednesday, May 7, from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Admission £10, children free.

Enjoy wide views over the countryside from the garden of The Old Vicarage at The Fields, Middleton by Wirksworth on Sunday, May 11, from 11am until 3.30pm. This glorious garden has a courtyard garden, an orchard and vegetable patch and is home to honey bees, doves and hens. Home-made teas available at the house. Admission £5, children free.

A country garden with a laburnum tunnel, wisteria pergola, wildlife pond, 10 acres of woodland and glades and a lake will welcome the public who visit 334 Belper Road, Stanley Common on Saturday, May 17, from 12 noon until 4pm. Admission £5, children free.

Be at one with nature in a peaceful outdoor space which is inspired by Japanese gardens and Buddhist philosophy. Cascades Gardens at Clatterway, Bonsall covers four acres and has a meditation garden, Bonsai centre and unusual perennials. The gardens open on Saturday, May 17, from 12 noon until 4pm. Admission £8 and £4 (child).

Thirty rhododendrons and azaleas make a lovely display at 2 Haddon View, Birchover Road, Stanton-in-the-Peak, which will open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, from 12.30pm until 4.30pm. There are four ponds and a diverse range of potted plants on the patios. Tea, coffee and home-made cakes will be available. Admission £4, children free.

Fir Croft at Froggatt Road, Calver is a world-renowned plantsman’s garden with large scree beds and rockery and an extensive collection of alpines and dwarf conifers with many new varieties not seen anywhere else. The garden will open to the public on Sunday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 28, from 1pm to 4pm. Admission is by donation.

A newcomer to the National Garden Scheme this year is 3 School Woods Close, Heanor which is a 20-year-old semi-rural garden adjacent to Shipley Country Park. Flat lawns extend throughout the garden and are surrounded by deep borders of herbaceous perennials, ferns, hostas and shrubs. This garden will open to the public on Sunday, May 18, from 12 noon until 5pm. Tea, coffee and cake will be available. Admission £3.50, children free.

Highfield House at Wingfield Road, Oakerthorpe, Alfreton offers a lovely country garden extending to an acre and incorporating a woodland, pond, orchard and vegetable garden. Visitors are welcome to see the garden on Sunday, May 25, from 10.30am until 5pm. Home-made teas and refreshments available. Admission £3, children free.