Green Island Gardens
Open Gardens, Nursery, Garden Design in Ardleigh, Colchester, Essex.

Green Island Gardens are private gardens, open to the public in Ardleigh near Colchester, Essex. Professionally designed by its owner Fiona Edmond, Green Island Gardens are laid out as a series of structured gardens displaying a huge range of unusual trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs - 'a plantsmans paradise'.

The open gardens and plant nursey are open regularly to the public and for the National Garden Scheme. The gardens are also opened for other charities each year. There is also a tearoom with garden design and photographic exhibition. This year, a new gravel entrance garden is open to the public.

Please email Fiona Edmond or call (01206) 230455 for group bookings, guided tours or further info. Evening visits with buffet supper, afternoon teas or childrens parties available.

You can find the Open Gardens and Nursery at Green Island on Park Road, Ardleigh, nr Colchester.
How to find us, Click here.

Green Island is a 20 acre triangular piece of land with the house set in the middle of woodland planted just after 1900. The house was designed by Raymond Erith and built in 1958, along with Nightingales, 'the cottage' and two timber chalets. Much of the woodland was destroyed in the 1987 storm with many mature oaks being lost.

In 1996 Fiona Edmond and her husband bought the house and moved to Green Island with their children. Fiona was seriously ill with M.E and over the next few years used the project of redesigning the garden as her 'therapy'. In 1999 the garden was opened to the public along with a plant nursery.

Materials found on the site have been used throughout the garden, which has been carefully designed as a series of areas with different themes, but all in keeping with the natural surroundings.

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Open Gardens & Nursery - 2007-8 opening dates and times

Opening times for 2008
10am - 5pm
February 1st - October 12th.
Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Bank Holiday Mondays,
and the first 2 Suns in Feb and Nov.



We are open under the National Garden Scheme on Suns Feb 17th, March 30th, July 13th, Nov 9th, and February 8th 2009
Other times by appointment.

Admission: Adults £3.00, Children £1.00



NEW FOR 2008

1 day workshops with "The Smith School of Gardening"
Green Island gardens is the official home for the school with
courses in digital photography, garden design, growing vegetables,
and much more. For details visit www.smithschoolofgardening

• Home made teas available in our tearoom on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.
  
  
• Regret no dogs except guide dogs.
  
  
• Toilets
  
  
• Disabled parking available near the entrance. The garden is fairly flat and accessible for wheelchairs.
  
  
• Picnicking allowed in the car park but not in the garden.
  
  
• Garden Design exhibition. Contemporary sculptures in woodland.

Group visits by appointment. Day time or evenings. We can provide buffet suppers, or hot meals for private parties. Childrens birthday parties also catered for. Groups of 20 or more offered discounted entry of £2.50 per person.

Guided tours available. Please call for details.

Open Gardens, Plant Nursery, Garden Design in Ardleigh, Colchester, Essex

A Garden for all seasons

Paeonia mlokosewitchii and Acer palmatum Atropurpureum Dissectum

Polygonatum multiflorum

Allium Purple Sensation

Photography Display

Fiona's father Robert Macdonald has helped in the creation of the gardens from the first clearance in 1997 to irrigation systems, rabbit fencing and grass cutting. He has a love of photography and a series of his photographs can be seen and are for sale in the tearoom.
for a full selection of his beautiful images visit www.image-nature.co.uk


Camellia

Acer palmatum "Osakasuki"

Corylopsis "Gotoana"