Open Gardens welcomes new locations 

30 April 2026

In the 2025-26 season, Open Gardens raised over £6,100 for Katharine House. This season, we already have 11 garden events planned, including in Adderbury, Culworth, Middleton Cheney, Tysoe, Aynho, Hook Norton, Brackley, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Middle Barton, South Newington and Katharine House Hospice’s own gardens.

Visitors can enjoy sights such as arboretums, water features, floral borders, orchards and vegetable patches, plus many gardens will be offering teas and cakes and family-friendly scavenger hunts.

“We have been building our garden and arboretum over nearly 30 years to our great pleasure, which we are happy to share with others, especially under the banner of an important cause such as the Katharine House Hospice. Opening the garden across the seasons allows visitors to explore its changing palette – different flowers, evolving colours and trees that transform month by month, ensuring that every visit feels unique.” – Christine and Sir Peter Job, owners of The Old Vicarage

Roseann Thompson, Community Engagement Manager for Katharine House said: “We are so grateful to our supporters who are generously opening their gardens to the public to raise money for Katharine House. We rely heavily on donations from our community to keep our hospice running, so this support is vital.

“The Open Gardens scheme for Katharine House has given a vast amount of pleasure to thousands of people over the years and are a great opportunity for people to showcase their gardening skills. We look forward to seeing how the gardens have developed over the last year and being introduced to new ones too.”

This year the Open Gardens scheme is jointly sponsored by local businesses Wise Investments and 4th Corner Landscaping.

There is still time for residents in local towns and villages to sign up to open their gardens to the public.