March 11 2013.


This summer, Seaford garden visitors are in for a real treat. In addition to the inevitable old favourites, Geoff Stonebanks from Driftwood, 4 Marine Drive, has inspired the owners of seven gardeners in the town to open up their private gardens for different charities across the summer months.

The first, Roger & Jane Bullock's wonderful garden pictured above, displays an integration of flowers, fruits and vegetables at 1 Buckthorn Close is one of five gardens opening for the National Gardens Scheme over the weekend of the 15th and 16thof  June. It will also open on the 23rd of June for the Mayor's Garden Trail, when a further three, never before opened gardens, will be on show

Helen and Dave Roberts at Wyndover, Chyngton Lane North, are opening there stunning plot overlooking the South Downs National Park. Joining them will be Sheila and David Thomas of 14 Lullington Close, whose garden nestles at the bottom of Seaford Head. Then there is the wonderfully colourful courtyard garden of David Ward and Jonathan Milne at 11 Steyne Road.

On the 30th of June there will be a double opening for St Wilfrid's Hospice and Debbie Hibberd will be opening 4 Sunningdale Close, where the sound of water helps create a feeling of tranquility, along with Geoff's own award-winning garden, Driftwood.

Then there are another three new gardens in Seaford opening for the Macmillan Coastal Trail, which takes place over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of August, when 20 gardens from Brighton to Eastbourne will be on show. Amongst them will be 27 Rookery Way and Martin Neil's ongoing experiment to discover what will thrive in a coastal garden.  Loretta Nolan's lovely garden at 10 Victor Close, which has opened before, but quite a few years ago, will open at the saem time.

So, for the seasoned garden visitors in Seaford this summer, break away from the norm and go and visit some new gardens at each of these events, but more importantly in doing so will raise much-needed funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, St Wilfrid's Hospice and the NGS, whose main beneficiaries are Macmillan and Marie Curie.


For further details on these events visit: www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk www.macmillangardentrail.co.uk www.mayorsopengarden.co.uk