The St John Ambulance and gardeners are hoping for some better weather as the open garden season gets under way with a number of gardens opening for St John in the next few weeks.

The St John Ambulance and gardeners are hoping for some better weather as the open garden season gets under way with a number of gardens opening for St John in the next few weeks.

It starts on Sunday at Beck Farm, Brisley.

This is just off the B1145 between North Elmham and Brisley and is down a long drive across the common.

It is quite a small garden but is packed full of features.

It has a stream bordered by a bog garden planted with kingcups and variegated irises, some fun yew topiary, pergolas covered with roses and clematis, mixed borders with roses, herbaceous flowers and shrubs, a very pretty vegetable garden and a row of clipped holm oaks.

Gateley Hall, Gateley, opens on Sunday, June 22.

This is just off the Fakenham/Dereham road and the hall is a grade one-listed Georgian building set in parkland.

The garden was designed by the well-known Chelsea gold medallist Arne Maynard and is now well established with 12 large flower beds with exuberant planting separated by grass paths.

There are large lawns bordered by wild flowers and it is a lovely place to wanter about with plenty of space.

Home-made teas available at both venues, with a £3.50 entrance charge and it is free for children under 12. Dogs are not allowed.

The Dereham division of the St John Ambulance is on duty at Brisley and the Swaffham division at Gateley.

Fakenham provided teas at the Snowdrop Walk at Walsingham in February and raised quite a lot of money for the division.

Training the public in first aid is a big part of what St John is about and 10,640 people were trained in 2007.