Fletching Garden Trail

As June rolled around, it was once again time for the Fletching Garden Trail, when locals and visitors alike descend on the village to wander through some of its most beautiful private gardens.

This much-loved annual event raises thousands of pounds for the village school and is well worth adding to your diary if you're based in Sussex or Surrey and love flowers, gardens and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Each year around twenty gardens take part, opening their gates to visitors for one weekend only. From mini orchards and wildlife ponds to sweeping lawns, hidden vegetable gardens and beautifully planted borders, no two gardens are ever quite the same. One of my favourites this year was the garden that seemed like it was straight out of Beatrix Potter.

What I love most about the trail is seeing how different people garden. Some gardens are carefully curated, while others have a looser, more natural feel, but all of them are clearly loved and tended with great care.

Back at Bay & Bellflower, the Garden Trail weekend is always one of my favourites. The village is buzzing, familiar faces return and new visitors discover the shop for the first time. My husband Luke stepped in to help and between us we kept the coffee flowing, toasted lots of sandwiches and enjoyed chatting to everyone passing through.

Of course the shop got her own special treatment too. Every year I like to do a different kind of floral installation and this year the front door received it's own floral makeover. I love being able to work creatively and I even received an applause and, 'there's no way those peonies are real?!'

If you missed it this year, I highly recommend making a note for next June. Whether you're looking for gardening inspiration, a lovely day out or simply an excuse to be a little nosy, the Fletching Garden Trail rarely disappoints.