RESIDENTS in Longniddry will open their gardens to the public this Sunday.

From 1pm to 5pm, visitors can meander around a selection of horticultural delights and, at the same time, raise funds for charity.

Longniddry hosted its last open day in 2021 under the auspices of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme (SGS).

This time there are eight gardens for people to enjoy, with donations going to Parkinson’s UK and Blood Bikes Scotland, as well as SGS causes.

Organiser Sue Lessels, from The Cottage, Gosford Road, paid tribute to all the gardeners involved in presenting their gardens in “peak condition”. She is hoping for a good turnout to support the selected charities and “to justify the effort the gardeners have made”.

She said: “The open day is an opportunity to showcase beautiful gardens and to speak to the gardeners themselves. Visitors can gain inspiration for their own gardens but also discuss issues that have affected us all.

“Gardening took off during Covid lockdowns and the enthusiasm for gardening does not appear to have waned.

“In addition, with numerous new-builds in East Lothian, there must be a lot of new plots to design and plant.

“Gardeners have had to cope with significantly changing weather patterns which must at least in part be due to climate change – the atrocious storms and rain of recent months seems a fair example!

“Talking to green-fingered gardeners can help old hands as well as those new to it to discuss how they have coped with this changing weather and topical subjects such as what success they have had with peat-free compost, how they might support wildlife in their gardens, how they attract pollinators to a garden or how to tackle the pitfalls of vegetable growing. This can make for a very enjoyable and interesting experience.

“At the same time, there is nothing better and more calming than being outside in relaxing and contemplative surroundings.”

Tickets priced at £8, with accompanied children going free of charge, will be available at three of the gardens: Greyfriars, Kings Road; Roma, Links Road; and The Cottage, Gosford Road, to catch all the main entrances to Longniddry.

Visitors receive a map and a yellow sticker which allows entry to all the gardens open to the public. The Longniddry map supplied marks all eight gardens, plus a brief description of each.

Teas with home bakes will be available at The Geans, Gosford Road, and there will be a plant stall at The Cottage, with many of the contributions from the gardens on show.

Cash only is requested for all tickets, teas and plants.