19 July 2009 Garden Gadabout

Here in Brighton UK we have an annual event that raises money for a local hospice. All over the city people open their gardens for a day or two and charge a modest one pound sterling entry fee so that other gardeners can come and visit. All money goes to the charity. Host gardens take months getting ready, clearing up, etc. Some even lay on tea coffee and cake, while others put on art and craft shows. We ourselves have opened up for the last couple of years, and last year we laid on a free wine tasting at the same time. Visitors can have a wonderful time.
This year we didn't open, instead we spent yesterday 19th July visiting other gardeners gardens. We were delighted to discover how many enchanting gardens lay hidden behind rows of ordinary terrace houses.
Here is a picture of a comma butterfly posing for the camera in a garden just down the road from us.