Hi All,Sorry I haven't been around lately, but during the past month I was busy getting ready for our village Open Gardens. This is the 16th year. I believe we started off with approximately 12 gardens open and this year it was 33, so you can see how we have grown 
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I usually open for the whole weekend, but this year only on the Sunday from 10.00 - 17.00 as I myself, this year, wanted to visit a few of the other Open Gardens on the Saturday. After midday Sunday we had had approx. 150 people through the garden, at that point I stopped counting .
Amongst the visitors to my garden was a Japanese lady with her English husband, she was in awe of the flowering Fuchsia Bonsai. Later she showed me photos of herself in her beautiful kimono, and where were the photos taken with other ladies in national dress!!!!!!!, in the Japanese Garden at Cheslsea Flower Show, maybe you saw this on the tv in May. I felt honoured to have such a celebrity visit my garden :-)
The final total that we raised for our local Hospice was £9,570, that is our best ever 
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Here a few photos from different gardens.
A Courtyard Garden.
A herb bed
An Oriental Corner
A great Koi Pond by the Patio
New for 2008 - Climbing Petunias
A super display of Alstromeria
Moverons, the restored farmhouse where I was born. The lawn in front of the building used to be my grandfather's vegetable garden :-)
The old lake, also cleaned and revived
A lovely walk by the side of the lake
A view from the farmhouse, overlooking the River Colne, through the gates the tennis courts have been dismantled and huge raised beds are being planted up.
My rear garden
Some of the Fuchsia Bonsai just coming into flower
A small display on the patio, 2 x Fuchsia + small Acacia
Now that is behind us, I am busy preparing for the next four weekends. Four different Fuchsia Shows here in East Anglia where I shall be doing a Fuchsia Bonsai Display for each, "Upwards and Onwards" as the saying goes :-)
Just coming into flower 'Little Jewel'
Various Fuchsia Bonsai
Off now for a cup of tea