Three charity open days offer a rare opportunity to visit Farrs in the market town of Beaminster this summer.
Home to internationally renowned furniture designer and maker John Makepeace and his artist wife Jennie, the stunning gardens include yew topiary, sculpture, a colourful potager with a new oak fruit cage, rolling lawns and spectacular grasses. The house features a wonderful selection of John’s own work alongside contemporary paintings, sculpture and ceramics. Both are open to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme from 11am – 5pm on 20 July, 17 August and 14 September.
The inspirational grass garden was recently featured on BBC2’s Gardeners’ World following a visit from Joe Swift. Picking up on the incredible design of the garden he said, “What I really like is the graphic way you’ve used these plants, by band, and drifts of them and blocks of them – there’s a real designer’s eye coming through here.”
The open days provide a brief opportunity to explore the gardens at first hand and see why they made such an impression on Joe.
A selection of specialist nurseries will be selling some more unusual plants each day and there will also be a series of midday talks, including the chance to hear from the UK’s leading ornamental grass expert, Dorset’s Neil Lucas on 17 August and 14 September.
This is the fourth year that the garden will be open to the public having raised thousands of pounds for the NGS and The Brooke, a charity promoting the health of working animals in the world’s poorest communities.
Admission is £5.00 and coffee, teas and cake will be served in the gaden. Farrs is on Whitcombe Road, Beaminster. For more information call 01308 862204 or email info@johnmakepeacefurniture.com.
