This June, Zohreh will be opening her garden in Welling for the first time as part of the Open Gardens Festival, joining a growing number of hosts across Bexley and Greenwich who share their spaces, ideas and love of gardening with visitors.
Zohreh is a full-time gardener, working across Blackheath and Bexley, and spends most of her time outdoors. “I love being outdoors with plants and in nature, and I understand how important it can be for people’s wellbeing,” she says. Gardening is second nature to her, and her own garden has been shaped slowly, thoughtfully, and very much around real life.
It’s not a large garden, and it hasn’t been created with a big budget. “It’s not a massive garden… I have a small budget, and as a single parent you do things slowly,” she explains. Instead, it’s grown over time, one plant, one idea, one season at a time, something she hopes visitors will connect with.
Zohreh first came across the Open Gardens Festival through her work. “Some of the gardens I look after were already involved in the festival,” she says. After visiting herself, she was struck by the atmosphere. “I was able to see what other people had done in their gardens and the sense of pride they had.”
This year, she decided to go for it.
Opening up your garden to the public can feel daunting, especially when it’s your own personal space. “It’s always a bit scary to open your personal space,” she says. But encouragement from friends and family, along with the chance to support Community Hospice, helped her take that step.
“My friends and family are always telling me how beautiful my garden is,” she adds. “And it’s for charity… anything that helps and lets me share my passion for gardening is a win-win for me.”
Zohreh has long been aware of the hospice through her local community. “There’s a charity shop at the end of my road,” she explains, and through conversations and experience she understands how important hospice care is. “People would go without because there isn’t a service anywhere else. It’s an important charity… it just seems like a no-brainer, why would you not?”
Her garden is a place that brings her a lot of day-to-day comfort. “It’s everything, it’s like one of my children,” she says. “You can be stressed and a bit down, but then you look out the window and when something’s in flower, it lifts you.” It’s a space that brings “a lot of restful joy” to her and her partner.
One thing visitors will notice straight away is her love of trees. “My partner says for such a small space I have a huge number of trees,” she says with a smile. “Trees are wonderful things… there’s such a variety.”
That idea of doing what you can with what you have runs throughout the garden. “You don’t need to buy the biggest or most expensive thing,” she explains. “You buy a smaller tree, it’s cheaper, and you get to nurture that tree and see it grow.”
Zohreh hopes visitors will leave feeling encouraged and full of ideas. “I hope people get some ideas of what they can do,” she says.
“You can do a lot with a garden when you are lacking in time and budget.”
Zohreh’s garden is one of several openings across Bexley and Greenwich this year, helping to make the Open Gardens Festival more accessible and varied than ever.
By heading a little further out, visitors will discover new areas, new gardens, and plenty of warm welcomes, while helping us continue to provide hospice care for people and families across Greenwich and Bexley.
