Chelsworth Open Gardens

Chelsworth is a picturesque village situated in the Brett valley, it is considered by many to be one of the prettiest in Suffolk. The residents of Chelsworth have opened their gardens on the last Sunday in June for the last 58 years.

As well as wandering through gardens with tea stops en route, visitors can buy from specialised nurserymen, local food specialists and artisan crafts. It is a setting that is picture-book English, with many old thatched and timbered houses surrounded by well tended and loved gardens. Over the last half-century the gardens have changed, the traditional English cottage gardens developed when people realised adding flowers and herbs to their vegetable plots would help attract bees to pollinate their crops. This evolved into the traditional cottage garden style with deep borders, a vibrant mix of perfumed flowers and herbs, a meandering path and a rustic bench tucked in a quiet corner.

We will leave it to a first time visitor to describe their day...“what a wonderful event the Chelsworth Open Gardens was today. We came and thoroughly enjoyed it - what an array of fabulous gardens in such short distances of each other. We were blown away with the care and loving attention that has been bestowed upon so many gardens, and thrilled at the opportunity that the generous folk of Chelsworth afforded us, to be able to explore their gardens. Thank you very much.”

Please note many gardens contain: uneven paving, greenhouse glass, unprotected ponds, streams and riverbanks, some poisonous plants and seeds. Children should be supervised.

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