SOME of the most beautiful gardens in a Warrington village will be open to the public on Saturday.

Visitors can explore a range of normally private gardens at the Rixton-with-Glazebrook Garden Safari on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

Programmes, which include a map and information about the gardens, are now on sale from the Village Shop and Black Swan in Hollins Green, Glazebrook Post Office and the Hamilton Davies Trust, Cadishead.

For £7 per programme per adult (children accompanying an adult are free) you can enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of the eight individual gardens, as well as a scarecrow trail and an art exhibition.

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Although dogs are not allowed.

Refreshments are available throughout the day at Rixton Methodist Church, Chapel Lane, Rixton, the Village Shop, Black Swan and Red Lion in Hollins Green.

Locally grown bedding plants and hanging baskets will be on sale at the Village Shop, where you can also pick up some fresh produce and tasty treats.

A new addition this year to the safari is a short 30-minute guided walk through the natural beauty of the Rixton Claypits Nature Reserve, an SSSI site.

The walk will leave the Claypits car park at 10.45am and is free and open to everyone – donations on the day will be welcome.

Proceeds from the walk and sale of Garden Safari programmes will go towards future community plan projects.

  •  For more information about the day and guided walk call Mandy Eccles on 07767 075211 or mandy@hamiltondavies.org.uk.

To whet your appetite, we have been inside the garden of Phil Aikman and Mary Barbour to give you an idea of what to expect on the day.

Here they tell us the tricks to their garden success

Describe the garden >

Our garden, with large mature trees around it, is set out with different areas including curved lawns, herbaceous borders, rockery, trellises, fruit trees, a ‘formal garden’ with box hedges and three linked ponds, with an oriental style bridge.

Northwich Guardian:

What are your plans for the garden?

Mostly we like it as it is!

The previous owners had spent a lot of time and money setting out the garden so that there is something of interest throughout the year.

We are considering more seating in the garden, possibly with a pergola and climbing plants.

When did you get into gardening?

We have always liked having a garden and visiting gardens, but generally had simple gardens that did not need much attention, being out at work all day.

Northwich Guardian:

When we retired and moved house we inherited this lovely garden and have had to learn as we have gone along, reading up about different plants and asking advice from friends.

What is your favourite feature in your garden?

We love the way the garden changes with the seasons and like to sit in the conservatory and watch the garden and all the birds that come.

Because of our rural location and large trees, we see Jays and Woodpeckers regularly, as well as the usual garden birds.

Family and friends like to come to us to enjoy the garden and it is lovely to see our little grand-niece running around the garden, exploring every corner.

Why do you enjoy gardening?

Gardening is something that you can do in spare moments.

We tend to do a little and often rather than diving into big projects as it is nice to do a bit then sit back to enjoy the garden.

Have you suffered any gardening catastrophies?

In our previous garden the hedge was hit by honey fungus, so we had to dig it all out and replace it with a fence.

In the end we grew honeysuckle and sweet peas up against the fence and preferred it to the rather plain and boring leylandii!

Northwich Guardian:

Do you have any gardening tips?

If you inherit an established garden, wait and see what it is like through a full year before you make big changes.

If, like us, you are not an expert gardener then ask other gardeners, as they love to talk about gardening and will often give you plants, seeds, or cuttings free.

Also, what grows well in neighbour’s gardens will probably do well in yours, as the soil and climate are similar.