As gardens open their gates to the public again this spring, one owner tells us about the changes she has made to her heavenly patch since last year

The gardens at Thornton Hall are a work in progress. More than two decades since owner Sue Manners painstakingly began to pull up the turf surrounding her Elizabethan home to turn it back into a glorious garden, she is still digging, weeding, creating.

The list of jobs is endless, but so is Sue's energy, and the past months have seen her turn her attention to the vegetable patch.

“Somewhere in our garden history, vegetable gardens got the short end of the stick," she says. "They have been typecast as the ugly ducklings of gardening. We are hoping to change this perception and aim to create a vegetable garden that’s as beautiful to look at as it is productive."

Visitors will soon get the chance to judge if she has succeeded when the garden gates are thrown open again under the National Gardens Scheme, raising money for charity in the process.

This is very much a plantswoman's garden, housing many unusual and rare perennials, including large collections of peonies, delphiniums, hostas, roses, lupins, heucheras and clematis. These are interspersed with interesting trees and imaginative shrubs in a profusion of mixed curvaceous borders and island beds.

Sue is particularly proud of her collection of hostas and the garden's north-facing border is dedicated to more than 250 variants of this intriguing plant.

When it came to the vegetable garden, her first consideration was shape. "Raised rectangular beds were added, which aid drainage, heat up faster in spring giving a longer growing season and pose less stress for the back for both planting and harvesting," she says. "A hexagonal patio with climbing supports for sweet peas, gourds and roses features in the centre of the garden and espaliered apple trees form the boundary. A new wooden pavilion at the top of the garden encourages you to take a seat and offers many diverse views of the borrowed landscape beyond."

Colourful sections of flowers, vegetables, fruit and herbs are being planted next to one another to achieve a dramatic display, as well some beneficial companion planting. "Finally, in our outdoor sanctuary, as well as our tried and trusted favourite vegetables, we will be experimenting with colourful heritage varieties such as Rainbow Beet, Sweet Imperator Carrots in five different colours)and Shiraz (red), Golden Sweet (yellow) and Snow Wind (green) mangetout, which not only look good but have bags of flavour too. A small annual flower meadow completes the look and will hopefully help to attract as many beneficial insects to the garden as the marigolds and garlic repel.”

Thornton Hall, near Darlington

16th Century Grade I-listed hall (not open). Two walled gardens with Elizabethan raised borders, separate vegetable garden. Plantsman’s garden, unusual perennials, interspersed with interesting trees and shrubs in mixed herbaceous borders. Large collection of tulips, auriculas, roses, clematis. Wildlife and ornamental ponds. New this year are dramatic changes to the vegetable garden, the aim being to create an area that is as beautiful as it is productive. “Somewhere in our history, vegetable gardens got the short end of the stick,” says owner Sue Manners.

  • May 13 ( in aid of NGS), May 28 ( including Plant Fair), June 13, June 20, June 27, July 4, July 11, July 15.

Thornton Hall Gardens, Staindrop Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL2 2NB

Other NGS open garden dates:

Clifton Castle, Ripon

Fine views, river walks, wooded pleasure grounds with bridges and follies. Cascades, wild flower meadow and C19 walled kitchen garden.

  • April 8, June 3. Clifton Castle, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 4AB

Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, Ripon

A stunning hidden gem 30-acre woodland garden. Home to an extensive collection of rare rhododendrons, azaleas and Himalayan plants, set amongst plantings of showy hybrids. A rich tapestry of spring colour with streams meandering through valleys, teaming with arrays of plants and sculptures, leading down to peaceful lakes. arboretum, tearoom, playground and nursery. There are also 60 contemporary sculptures, a lakeside pagoda and a Buddha garden.

  • April 30. Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, Hutts Lane, Grewelthorpe, Ripon, Yorkshire, HG4 3DA

Hillside Cottages, Low Etherley

The gardens of these two 19th Century cottages offer contrasting styles. At Number 1, grass paths lead you through a layout of trees and shrubs including many interesting specimens. Number 2 is based on island beds and has a cottage garden feel with a variety of perennials and shrubs and a wild area, vegetables and fruit. Both gardens have ponds and water features.

  • May 13. Hillside Cottages, Low Etherley, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 0EZ

Constable Burton Hall Gardens, Leyburn

Large romantic garden with terraced woodland walks. Garden trails, shrubs, roses and water garden. Display of daffodils and over 6,500 tulips planted annually amongst extensive borders. Fine John Carr house (not open) set in splendour of Wensleydale countryside. Constable Burton Hall Gardens plays host to a magnificent Tulip Festival, on the first May Bank Holiday weekend. Sponsored by Chelsea award-winning nursery Bloms Bulbs, over 6,500 traditional and new variant tulips are planted throughout the gardens.

  • March 25. Constable Burton Hall Gardens, Constable Burton, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5LJ

Croft Hall, Croft-on-Tees

A lovely lavender walk leads to a Queen Anne-fronted house (not open) surrounded by a five-acre garden, comprising a stunning herbaceous border, large fruit and vegetable plot, two ponds and wonderful topiary arched wall. Pretty rose garden and mature box Italianate parterre.

  • May 27. Croft Hall, Croft-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, DL2 2TB

Woodbine House, Hunwick

A quarter of an acre, divided into two, one half used as a vegetable garden with large greenhouse. The other half of the garden is lawn with well-stocked herbaceous borders and small pond. Bees are kept in the vegetable garden.

  • May 28. Woodbine House, 22 South View, Hunwick, Crook, Durham, DL15 0JW

Southlands, Eaglescliffe

The South-facing High Victorian gardens created by Sir Samuel and Lady Sadler are on an elevated site with sloping lawns, herbaceous borders, orchards and woodland areas. A natural stream runs through the ten-acre garden, which has abundant established rhododendrons and azaleas, and specimen trees such as ginko, maples, beech, pines and redwoods. Structures in the garden include a coaching house, bothy, the old greenhouse and a fountain.

  • May 6. Southlands, The Avenue, Eaglescliffe, TS16 9AS

For more details and opening times:

W: http://ngs.org.uk