'THE Hidden Gardens of Croft Road' will be open to explore for green-fingered gardeners and floral enthusiasts able to walk through woodlands and smell fresh roses.

Families with cottages and farms along the A167 between Darlington and Croft will be propping open the garden gate later this month as part of the National Open Garden Scheme.

Five estates will be on show – the grounds are usually hidden behind tall hedges and difficult to view from the roadside.

Jo and Ian Fearnly of Nags Head Farm, Gill and Neil Segger of Orchard Gardens, Carol and Chris Pratt of Oxney Flatts Farm and Gypsy Nicol of Oxney Cottage will be part of the event, as well as Jane and John Brown joining the scheme for the first time at New Cottage.

Oxney Cottage is described as a "very pretty cottage garden", with herbaceous borders and roses and a colour variety of unusual plants.

Nags Head Farm features a rill running alongside a sloping garden leading to a peaceful courtyard. There is a large vegetable garden home to a magnificent glass house with vines and chilli plants, as well a woodland walk.

Orchard Gardens is a large garden of mixed planting, stump sculptures, coloured themed beds, fruit trees and different ornaments.

Oxney Flatts has well-stocked herbaceous borders and a wildlife pond while New Cottage is a growing garden with a new fruit and vegetable area, pond and small alpine garden.

Homemade teas will be available at Oxney Flatts and Orchard Gardens. The sites will be open on Sunday, June 23, from 1pm until 5pm. Entry is £5 and children go free.