TEN treasured Tysoe gardens are opening their gates to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme.

The gardens are open on June 4 and 5 offering a whole variety of gems to delight visitors.

As the gardens' guests peruse the perennials and browse among the borders, they will be accompanied by a peal of bells on the Sunday when St Mary's Church tower bells ring out to honour the Queen's 90th birthday.

The gardens will be bursting with colour and detail and offer a variety of settings from cottage garden walls clothed in roses, to walled gardens, a living shed roof, a farmhouse garden, old butcher's and police house gardens as well as a walk to Tysoe windmill yielding a memorable view of Elizabethan manor house Compton Wynates.

One of the gardens being opened is that of Dinsdale House, owned by Julia Sewell, county organiser for the National Gardens Scheme.

She is opening her garden for the first time.

"Everyone assumes I'm a frightfully upmarket gardener, I'm absolutely not. My passion is trees - I look to the future. Here at Dinsdale House we have roses which luckily can cope with being at the bottom of a hill where water doesn't really drain away," she said.

The gardens are open from 2pm to 6pm on both days. Tickets and maps are available from the village hall, as are refreshments. Admission is combined at £5 per adult with children free.

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