Gateshead 'Hobby that got out of hand' wins best garden in North of England and Northern Ireland

A Gateshead garden that its owner describes as a "hobby that got out of hand" has been named the best garden in the North of England.

Birkheads Secret Gardens in Sunniside, near Gateshead, was crowned the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)'s Partner Garden of the year for the North of England and Northern Ireland after topping a poll on 'feel good' gardens by visitors.

Christine and Michael Liddle started off with a cottage garden in 1990 and Birkheads now covers three acres, including part of a former open-cast mine. Six members of staff manage the gardens, which include ponds, wildflower meadows, a Japanese-style meditation garden, woodland, cottage gardens, and a plant nursery and coffee shop.

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Situated on the edge of rural Gateshead, the gardens look out into the Beamish Valley, with red kites, deer and curlew frequenting the surroundings. The Liddles want to "do their bit" for the environment in the garden too by creating year-round wildlife habitats, alongside re-homing rescued hedgehogs from a local rescue centre.

Christine told ChronicleLive: "We're really excited about winning because we're so small compared to everybody else that's in it. The best way I can describe it as a hobby that got out of hand. I just love plants, I wanted to build gardens."

Despite its longevity and award-winning status, many North East residents won't know about Birkheads, with bosses preferring to keep a low profile and rely on word-of-mouth to bring in new visitors. Christine said: "We have never really advertised, but we have leaflets.

"We became a partner garden with the RHS about eight years ago, and since then it's been magic for us as visitors know there's a certain standard they're going to get. We've got happy staff, happy volunteers, and happy students - it's just grown and grown, but that's what gardens do!"

The national winner of the RHS Partner Garden of the year was Green Island Gardens in Essex. Helen Feary, RHS Partner Gardens manager, said: "The results of this year’s RHS Partner Garden of the Year show how much joy visiting a garden brings to people.

"The winning gardens have all been lovingly created by their owners, and from the comments received with the votes, we can see how much they are loved by their visitors. I’d recommend a visit to them all."

Birkheads Secret Garden is closed for the winter and will re-open to the public for Snowdrop Weekend in February, and during weekends in March.