Saxon Rd Mr and Mrs Fletcher, to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude

My final port of call took me across the railway line into West Birkdale to the home of Margaret and Geoff  Fletcher. I was met at the gate by their grandson Sam who politely welcomed me and told me all about the cakes that were on offer. Later on I took him up on his recommendation of the chocolate and Guinness cake. Before I settled down in the shade of the refreshment area Margaret showed me around their stunning garden.

This walled garden covers 1/3-acre and has an exciting mix of secret areas, informal beds & water features, all accessed by bark & gravel paths. They also sold plants and I must admit I did succumb to the sales patter of the very persuasive Sam

Margaret and Geoff Fletcher the driving force behind this brilliant event , the Birkdale Open Gardens. Photograph by Mathew

despite the scale of the garden it was the small detail that most took the eye

Sue Blaney and her two companions who walked between the five gardens taking a well deserved rest and enjoying the sunshine, the garden and the refreshments

The whole family had been pressed into action on this Open Day . Sam we have already met . His mother was running the refreshment stall with a truly stupendous selections of cakes, cream scones and tea breads and his uncle was also being kept busy. Margaret and Geoff have three children one of whom now lives in Paris and so misses out on the annual Open Day. Sam's elder brother Mathew was also well in evidence and was fully occupied assisting his grandparents. he also proved to be an excellent photographer. On the wall there was displayed a trowel which was presented to the Fletchers to mark their first decade as an Open garden. They are now well into their second decade. I don't know what they will get presented with when they reach their twentieth anniversary but whatever it is they thoroughly deserve it.