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Kitchen Garden Open Days

Come spend a splendid day in Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset

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Wooden sign shaped like an old seal with text advertising a kitchen garden open day, free entry, no booking needed.

Wander, learn and gather inspiration in a productive kitchen garden

With expert advise on hand from Pennard Plants’ leading horticulturalist Chris Smith, & expert seed guidance from Mike Milligan

Illustration of a two-story house with a brick exterior, multiple windows, a front door, and some trees in front.

Set within the Mendip Hills at
The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip

Pennard Plants’ Kitchen Show Garden

Within easy reach of Frome, Bruton and Bath

Sign shaped like a wax seal promoting a kitchen garden open day with free entry and no booking needed.

From 10am to 4pm each day you can enjoy:

scheduled talks & informal guidance

garden tours & refreshments

tools, gardenalia & other treats to peruse

all labelled trees & plants available to take home

full seed range available in the potting shed

Dates

Friday 17 July
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Sunday 2 August
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Thursday 24 September
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Friday 9 October
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Saturday 21 November
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Sunday 22 November

A man tending to a lush, well-maintained garden surrounded by a brick wall. The garden features various flowering plants, potted trees, and shrubs, with a person using a gardening tool.
A garden entrance with a gravel path leading under a metal archway covered with blooming pink and white roses, surrounded by lush green trees and bushes, with a cloudy blue sky overhead.
A glass greenhouse with a decorative white trim on top, situated in a garden with trees and plants. There are potted plants on brick and concrete surfaces in front of the greenhouse, and a wooden bench nearby. Clear blue sky.
A stone pathway with steps leads to a stone house with multiple windows, surrounded by lush greenery and plants, viewed through a framed gap in dense bushes.
A sign on a stone wall advertising a kitchen garden open day, featuring herbs, plants, seeds, and refreshments, with a historic stone building and blue sky in the background.
A lush garden with a variety of colorful flowers, a small wooden shed, and a dense tree canopy in the background.
Garden scene with trellises supporting climbing plants, vibrant flowers at the base, and a blue sky with scattered clouds overhead.
Several people gathered inside a greenhouse, examining plants and gardening supplies. The greenhouse is filled with lush green plants, hanging foliage, and potted plants on display. People are looking at various items, with some taking notes or discussing.
A small indoor garden with terracotta pots filled with soil and seedlings, a watering can, and gardening tools, set inside a green-framed greenhouse.
Inside a greenhouse with arched metal supports, potted plants along the sides, a gravel path, and a wooden structure at the far end under a partly cloudy sky.
A round sign with a wax seal appearance advertising a kitchen garden open day with free entry and no booking needed.

Find us on Kitchen Garden Open Days

Map of the Mendip Hills National Landscape in England, showing towns like Leigh-on-Mendip, Wells, Frome, and Chew Magna, with roads labeled A39, A368, A361, and others.

We are just 10 minutes drive from Frome, 15 minutes from Bruton and 25 minutes south of Bath.

The Old Vicarage
Leigh-on-Mendip
Somerset
BA3 5QG

what3words: ///farmland.mixers.resonated

Google Maps

Please park considerately on the street, our staff will help co-ordinate pick-up at the front of the property.

The image shows the entrance gate to The Old Vicarage, a historic stone building with ivy growing on the facade, a wooden front door, and labeled sign, surrounded by trees and parked cars.
The image shows the entrance gate to The Old Vicarage, a historic stone building with ivy growing on the facade, a wooden front door, and labeled sign, surrounded by trees and parked cars.
A circular sign with a wax seal design advertising a kitchen garden open day, offering free entry with no booking needed.

Dates reminder

  • Friday 17 July

  • Sunday 2 August

  • Thursday 24 September

  • Friday 9 October

  • Saturday 21 November

  • Sunday 22 November

Time

Open: 10.00am | Close: 4.00pm

Text that reads "Asterion & Co. In collaboration with Pennard Plants" with a decorative branch design underneath.

These are not traditional nursery open days. Instead, they offer a rare opportunity to experience a fully realised kitchen garden in situ, where heritage varieties are grown, tended and understood within a working setting.

Across the day, you are invited to explore fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible ornamentals as they grow across beds, glasshouse, polytunnel, orchard and ornamental borders. Every plant is clearly labelled, allowing you to connect what you see with what you can grow.

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All labelled varieties growing in the garden will be available to purchase, ready to take home. The full seed collection will also be available for your to peruse.

Learn more about the Pennard Plants’ Kitchen Show Garden »

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Join The Branch

Gardening Courses

Group of people standing outdoors on a cloudy day, wearing rain jackets and boots, with trees in the background, holding umbrellas.

Pennard’s horticultural expertise meets Asterion & Co.’s heritage-inspired learning.

Together, we offer a programme of practical gardening workshops led by Pennard plantsman Chris Smith.

These cover vegetable growing, fruit cultivation, pruning of all categories of fruiting trees and protected cropping.

See all Chris's upcoming gardening courses

Explore Chris’s Gardening Club workshops by season…

Where Our Gardening Courses Unfold…

Text logo for Asterion & Co. in collaboration with Pennard Plants, featuring decorative greenery.

Asterion & Co. and Pennard Plants are proud to collaborate.

This Somerset nursery known for its exceptional collection of heritage fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible ornamentals.

Founded in 2001 and now celebrating its 25th year, Pennard Plants has become a trusted source for gardeners seeking flavour, character and diversity in what they grow.

Our Gardening Club workshops are led by co-founder Chris Smith, whose depth of knowledge and practical insight shape each session.

Alongside these courses, you can experience Pennard Plants in two other key ways:

Nursery Open Days | East Pennard, Somerset
Shop heritage trees, plants and seeds online

Pennard’s depth of knowledge and practical authority, set within Asterion’s considered setting, enables learning to be imparted with care

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Shared philosophy of
Heritage-Inspired Learning™
Enduring practices, applied a through contemporary lens

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Values aligned
Camaraderie, craftsmanship, regeneration, accomplishment and integrity

25 Year Anniversary

In 2026, Pennard Plants marks twenty-five years of growing, selecting and sharing heritage plants with gardeners across the country. What began in 2001 as a small Somerset nursery with a deep interest in traditional varieties has gradually become one of the UK’s most respected sources for heritage fruit trees, unusual small fruits, heirloom vegetables and open-pollinated seeds.

Two men holding a black bowl together, standing outdoors with a brick wall and plants in the background.

Throughout that time the nursery has been shaped by the horticultural knowledge and quiet dedication of Chris Smith (pictured right), alongside fellow Pennard owner Mike Milligan (pictured left) who leads the heritage seed side of the business. Together they have helped keep hundreds of traditional varieties in circulation — not simply preserved as historical curiosities, but actively grown, tasted and enjoyed in gardens and kitchen plots across Britain.

At the heart of Pennard’s work is the belief that these plants belong in cultivation. Many of the varieties the nursery champions carry stories of place, flavour and resilience that stretch back generations, and their continued survival depends on gardeners choosing to grow them.

Above all, this anniversary is an opportunity to thank the remarkable community of growers, gardeners and customers who have supported Pennard Plants over the past quarter-century. Their enthusiasm for heritage varieties is what keeps this work alive.

For a deeper look into the philosophy and horticultural approach behind the nursery, you can read our Asterion Journal feature In Conversation with Chris Smith of Pennard Plants.

A circular logo for Pennard Plants celebrating 25 years, featuring a stylized green plant with multiple branches and small fruits or berries, with a green ribbon banner at the top and bottom of the circle.
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Join The Branch