Summer, when Londoners throw their gardens open to the world

By Britta Guerke Sep 14, 2010, 12:51 GMT

London - From the outside the row of houses in north London is unspectacular. Red tiled roofs, brown wooden panelling and old windows, each house is a practical construction out of the '50s. The front garden is ordinary and boring.

That's why it's a little hard to believe that there's a secret magical garden in the back. But go through the garage door and suddenly the view is of old trees, overflowing flowerbeds, fountains and English tea like in a picture book.

Every summer hundreds of people living in London, other English cities and Wales open their private gardens to the public for a small fee. They often also serve tea and cake. The proceeds go to good causes.

Thousands of visitors take advantage of the programme run by the National Gardens Scheme, which has existed since 1927. In the last 10 years alone 25 million pounds (38 million dollars) has been collected for aid organizations.

'I find it wonderful that you can look behind this long row of houses,' said a German who has lived in London for years and to date has discovered new gardens every summer. 'Many people in London can't afford a garden. It's really nice when you can have a look at those of other people.'

Allowing a perfect stranger a look into one's garden doesn't fit with the typical mentality of the English, but visiting gardens is an old tradition in England explored by 19th century novelist Jane Austen. On a Sunday afternoon in the north London garden the visitors range in age from infants to over 90.

All English people want to live in their own little box with their own private piece of property, according to Kate Fox in her book Watching the English. A walk through a neighbourhood of terraced houses, where tidy gardens are kept concealed behind walls or wooden fences, shows that the phrase 'my home is my castle' is taken seriously by people who live there. Fox said it's very unlikely that a tourist ever sees a typical English garden.

The garden in north London is located near the area called Highgate. It stretches over several plots and includes beds with varying colour themes, shady corners with benches and tables, greenhouses and even rose paths. And it has neatly groomed grass, of course. The man of the house takes care of the garden all by himself, said a volunteer helping with the food service.

As the friendly woman served tea on a table covered with a floral print tablecloth, she said both the accompanying scones and the marmalade were homemade, making the visitors feel more like neighbours than visitors from the other side of the city.