The first weekend of Saltaire Festival always means it's 'Open Gardens', when some residents in the village choose to throw open their gates and invite people to explore and enjoy their gardens. Bear in mind that even the largest houses in Saltaire only have tiny gardens, but it is amazing what people manage to pack into them. One of the first I came to was this one on Albert Road. The owner told me that when they first moved in it was mostly just hard ground to park a car, with hardly any planting. They have gradually transformed it into a haven for bees and insects, with some attractive areas to sit and enjoy it all. The garden really wrapped round you in a most delightful way.
An old iron roller gave a little focal point in the front garden, which was full of soothing green foliage.
Behind the house, in the tiny backyard, an old bedspring had been leaned up against the wall as a support for ivy and other climbing plants. These houses are listed buildings and so people are discouraged from spoiling them with permanent structures drilled into the stonework.
Round the corner, in a back alley, I was reminded how it's 'different strokes for different folks'. One back yard was almost empty of green, whilst next door was a veritable green jungle.
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