S pend August days wandering around some of Surrey's most beautiful gardens as owners open their gates for charity as part of the National Gardens Scheme programme.
Odstock in Castle Square, Bletchingley, offers something for all the family including a children's quiz. This plantsman's garden features more than 80 grasses and climbers, Japanese features and dahlias. The practically-minded will appreciate the no-dig, low-maintenance vegetable garden.
Open Sunday (August 4) from 11am to 5pm. Admission £3, children free.
For wonderful views, visit the stunning four-acre setting of Victorian Pratsham Grange, Tanhurst Lane, Holmbury St Mary, which is overlooked by Holmbury and Leith Hills.
The garden is surrounded by mature oaks, laurels, rhododendrons and paddocks. Features include herbaceous borders, a kitchen garden, ponds, knot garden and rose, hydrangea and fuchsia beds.
Open Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18 from noon to 5pm. Admission £4, children free.
One of the largest surviving historic estates in Surrey, Titsey Place in Oxted has been the magnificent ancestral home of the Gresham family since 1534.
Enjoy 15 acres of formal and informal gardens in an idyllic setting. Relax in the Etruscan summer house overlooking picturesque lakes and fountains. Tearooms are open from 12.30 to 5pm. You can also in picnic in the park and take your dogs on woodland walks.
Gardens open for NGS on Saturday, August 17 from 12.30 to 5pm, admission £4.50, children free. For other opening times visit www.titsey.org
Enjoy the vibrancy of Woodbury Cottage garden in Colley Lane, Reigate, which is just under quarter of an acre stepped on a slope and enhanced by its setting under Colley Hill and North Downs Way.
The owners grow a rich diversity of colour-themed plants including perennials and tender ones, with many in pots.
Open Saturday, August 31 from 2 to 5pm, Sunday, September 1 from 11am to 5pm and Wednesday September 4 from 2 to 5pm. Admission £3.50, children free.
For directions and more details visit www.ngs.org.uk
