An inspirational garden; ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE.

SET in a beautiful, peaceful, part of rural Northumberland, just half an hour north of Newcastle, is Longframlington Gardens.

Longframlington Gardens are owned, designed, created and managed by nurserywoman, garden designer, horticulturist, and plantswoman Hazel Huddleston.

The gardens, now in their 12th year, are continually evolving.

Hazel has transformed the site, since beginning with 12 acres of bare pasture in 1997.

The gardens now contain an impressive and growing plant collection of over 160 different types of trees and over 725 different types of shrubs, climbers and perennials.

The gardens are planted to give colour and interest all year round and is being created for visitors to hopefully enjoy.

They illustrate the use of plants and offer a fascinating and unique garden for visitors to enjoy, whether gardening beginners or plant connoisseurs.

Their contemporary and sometimes quirky design illustrates an achievable modern and functional garden design style that hopefully will give visitors inspiration and ideas for their own gardens, on whatever scale.

Parts of the garden have been given over to nature and wildlife.

The upper part of the site is an old rig and furrow pasture, that has been 'allowed its own head' - along with old established mixed hedges, the sward contains a long-established mix of grasses and native flora.

Many different types of birds, mammals and insects can be seen at the gardens - these have been listed in the gardens' 'carry around' guide including the types of plants and habitats that they are using.

The nurseries at Longframlington Gardens grow and offer for sale most of the plants that can be seen growing in the gardens.

The gardens, nursery and coffee shop are open everyday 8.30am-5.00pm, March 1 to November 30 and by appointment at all other times.

Hazel also continues to offer a full garden design and advisory service, including landscape contracting, throughout the North of England.

Further information is available on the website or direct from the gardens.

WIN A FREE GARDEN DESIGN (or garden advice) up to the value of pounds 200

All you have to do, when you visit Longframlington Gardens, is find all 20 promotion tags along the garden all arboretum walk, then identify the plants they are attached to.

The first correct entry drawn after the closing date of August 31, 2009, will win the prize.

Design and advice by Hazel Huddleston M.I.Hort Garden Design and Advisory Service at Longframlington Gardens. (Normal garden and arboretum admission) Usual ncjmedia promotion rules apply, available at www.journallive.co.uk/legal LONGFRAMLINGTON GARDENS GARDENS AND ARBORETUM NURSERY AND PLANT CENTRE GARDEN DESIGN AND ADVISORY SERVICE EN ROUTE COFFEE SHOP Free car parking for garden, nursery and/or coffee shop visitors. Entrance charge for garden and arboretum walk only.

Contact: Hazel Huddleston.

Tel/Fax: [phone] Website: www.longframlingtongardens.co.uk Email: [e-mail] Longframlington Gardens is easy to find. Please follow the main road signs to Longframlington village on the A697 (approximately 30 miles north of Newcastle), then follow the garden signs along the B6345 Felton road for approximately 3/4 mile.

CAPTION(S):

TRANSFORMED Longframlington Gardens started as bare pasture.