Welcome to

A Bright Prospect

GARDEN WORKSHOPS FOR BOTH BEGINNERS AND THOSE MORE EXPERIENCED.

We run hands-on gardening and floristry workshops in the beautiful grounds and potting shed of Prospect House in Burton Leonard, North Yorkshire. We also offer bespoke garden visits to private clubs with refreshments provided by local charity Dementia Forward. We are proud to announce that last year we raised £4,437 for Dementia Forward. In addition we raised a further £700 for other charities through our garden openings, including the NGS. Please do contact us to see what we can offer your groups!

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A tour of Prospect House garden has featured in Horticulture Magazine!

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See A Bright Prospect featured in Living North Magazine,

#LIVINGNORTH

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The most rewarding part of a bright prospect are the happy reviews we receive from our students. If you’re wondering what it’s like to be in one of our courses, take a look at some of the testimonials below.

Really great workshop - you manage to get so much in, including letting us get stuck in! It's really enjoyable and inspiring to listen to 2 people who are so knowledgeable, passionate and enthusiastic about your work! It's refreshing to have myths busted and common sense rule!

Please may I say a huge thank you for the gardening course...this course and especially your energy, enthusiasm and amazing knowledge has really inspired me with confidence.

LORRAINE

JANE

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NGS visits - Open Day Sunday 24th May 2026 12,30-5pm

Group Garden Visits by Arrangement

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When all the box hedging (Buxus sempervirens) in the garden has had box caterpillar this season, some of it just has to go. It’s quite the workout for me to remove it but the prospect of planning the replacement plants is strangely exciting. So pleased my leafmould in the cage is finally ready to use and spread on the borders. There continues to be many beautiful colours this autumn, here in the form of Japanese Maple and salvias. Spot Tiger 🐅 making a cameo ..#gardeningcat #autumn #gardenersofinstagram #buxussempervirens

Amazing year for my lovely salvias, all in full bloom now having had some rain and a little time. Well worth lifting them over winter or taking cuttings to continue the collection. I can’t resist! We also planted a new tree Hoheria Sextylosa ‚Snow White’ after removing all the previous ‚damp loving‘ plants. Picture 5 is Aster Monch with Helenium Lemon Queen. Gardening for a changing climate in action. #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #salvias

Another excellent garden day at the superb @mountstjohngardens with specialist talks in the conservatory on the History of the Apple by @thenurseries then on Resilient Gardening by @matthewwilsongardens Lovely to put the face to the voice after listening to him speak so often on Gardeners Question Time. Wonderful also to meet gardener Max Pearson whose enthusiasm for all things horticultural shone through in his tour of the kitchen garden and his talent for drying flowers. #gardenvisits #autumngarden #driedflowers

Selling lovely fresh flowers from my cutting patch to @elaine_hadfield_floraldesigner followed today by a trip to stunning @raby_castle , admiring the top planting there designed by @awbassociates The gardener led tour explained not only the history but the highlights of the garden. Stunning! #dahliaseason #autumncolours #gardenersofinstagram

So many dahlias, I’m selling some to @elaine_hadfield_floraldesigner

So ends a glorious, hot, dry summer of events and flower fun. Today’s final group charitable visit was for the Patrons of #riponcathedral with guest The Very Rev’d Dean John Dobson for whom I gave a talk, tour and demo on how to grow dahlias for a cutting garden. Time to now assess what has survived the drought well, redesign some borders accordingly, plant lovely new bulbs and mulch everywhere. We’ve also numerous garden themed talks on the winter diary. Always something horticultural to look forward to 🌷#gardentalks #gardenopenforcharity #gardenersofinstagram🌱#dahliaseason

It’s all about the flowers 🌹 a snapshot of late summer colour. The established plants in well mulched borders are coping relatively well with the drought but I’m conscious of those that need a little attention with the watering can so they don’t shrivel completely. Pics 3 -5 of the thriving cutting patch. Won the Silver Jubilee cup for best mixed garden at the village flower show! Last big group visit coming on Monday so I’ll keep deadheading for a while longer. #englishcountrygarden #cuttingpatch #flowersforcutting #cats_of_instagram #villageflowershow

A snapshot of a busy few weeks with garden group visits and a bespoke floristry workshop. Georgina and I finally got to sit down on the lovely bench cushion by @suziessewingworkshop during the #ngsyorkshire open afternoon which raised just under £700 for healthcare charities. The white border with its 17 Champagne Moment Floribunda roses has been stunning this year and is only now fading thanks to judicious deadheading. I’m ready for a rest now!

Sunny day forecast for this Sunday with no wind to blow away the gazebo on this occasion. Come along! #yorkshirengs #gardenopenforcharity #englishcountrygarden

Such a busy few weeks with lovely private group visits to the garden. Today we welcomed a large group from Holland and had the #dementiaforward team providing delicious refreshments on each occasion. The Yorkshire themed hamper recipient was very happy! #privategarden #gardenvisits

Spot me in a sea of pink! Peony Sarah Bernhardt alongside Rosa Olivia. Many annuals, Crepis Rubra, sown in March, are dotted throughout the border. They look like dandelions for a short time until they open into a delicate pale pink flower. The little hedgehog made an appearance this morning too, stuck on the sunken lawn so we helped him on his way with a bit of food. #hardyannuals #pinkborder #hedgehog #roses #peonies🌸

We welcomed a lovely group of 30 visitors today who travelled by coach from the Cambo Estate near Fife, Scotland camboestate.com as part of their tour of mainly private gardens. We raised funds for #dementiaforward whose team provided delicious canapés. The cut flower beds and intersectional peony Bartzella were particular hits but it was the guests‘ lovely compliments that make it all worthwhile #peony #intersectionalpeony #gardenpond #gardenersofinstagram🌱

Wonderful morning and evening light on the majestic copper beech and wisteria. A day of planting and seedling work today in the rain showers. Not a problem with the right clothes, strangely relaxing, in fact, and certainly needed in the borders. #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #copperbeechtree #copperbeech #wisteria

Been on a trip to see my son, about to sit his finals 🤞, we sauntered through the stunning #cambridgebotanicgardens then I took a short detour heading north to purchase three pretty galvanised poppy head sculptures from #tristenmay for the pink border. Straight outside upon my return to place them carefully and admire the #wisteria next to the long border, fresh from a teeny bit of rain (hurrah!) and its perennials having already had their Chelsea chop. Full day outside beckons tomorrow :)#gardenersofinstagram🌱 #wisteriapergola #gardensculpture

First of many private group visits to the garden and the sun shone, the newly trimmed #buxushedge looked splendid and highlight plants included the peonies, hawthorn blossom and the #allium, all strappy leaves removed. Sold lots of plants too, many for #cliffbanknursery Felt like the Pied Piper leading everyone around before their tea and cake. #privategarden #yorkshirengs #gardenersofinstagram🌱

So many seedlings and so little room! Filled one cutting patch, selling many others with an honesty payment box in the village, pricking out and potting on with mum is better, glass in hand and Tiger the cat tries to find some shade. #gardens #gardensofinstagram #seed #cutflowers

Trip out today to the lovely specialist plant nursery @darkstarplants for a few choice purchases then to admire the wisteria at @norton_conyers Back to the garden for the rest of the day where tulip World Friendship, planted 4 years ago, is still going strong . #wisteria #yellowtulip #mixedborders #gardenersofinstagram🌱

Beauty unfurling everywhere today as I planted out some of the hardy annuals sown in February, Calendula ‚Snow Princess‘, watering them in and mulching around each one given the current sunny weather. Highlights include the very old tree peony and the hybrid ‚Clair de Lune‘. Also very pleased with the new Japanese Acer in their super large, weatherproof terracotta pots supplied by @cliff_bank_nursery I‘ve even painted the gate too to finish the scene #sunnygarden #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #gardenstovisit #peonies

Tulips Barbados and Black Parrot ready for cutting, beautifully scented Staphylea colchica putting on great growth and Exochorda ‘The Bride’ looking resplendent in the sunshine. Gearing up for the first of many group visits next week. #gardenvisits #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #springshrubs #parrottulips

We’ve been on a sunny trip to London for two excellent exhibitions and time spent admiring the planting both in parks and containers. #innertemplegarden #somersethouselondon #saatchigallery

Beautiful weather for being in the garden. Lawn scarifying and its first cut, the promise of pretty bulbs in the driveway display and the scented shrub Coronilla Valentina, been flowering for over a month now. #springgarden #lawncare

Saturday 29th March at Ripon Cathedral. Come along! #gardentalks #springgardening

A week in Vienna, Austria staying with my dearest Austrian friends and I couldn’t resist going in search of colourful flowers. Found a sea of camellia and azalea alongside the tropical plants in the warmth of the #palmenhausschönbrunn #vienna_austria #vienna

Cheery winter border and tonight’s talk to Eldwick and Gilstead Horticultural Society on ‚Foliage and Fillers‘. Best keep busy when it’s gloomy weather #gardentalks #snowdrops #wintersunshine

Fun evening and a warm welcome to give our talk on ‚Winter Thrillers‘ to a full house at Boston Spa Gardening Society. The beautifully scented Daphne Jaqueline Postill cutting which we handed round was a particular hit as was the Coronilla glauca Citrina. Always joy to be had outdoors at any time of the year. #winterscent #wintergarden #gardentalks #lovemygarden

Thanks to Bramhope WI Garden Group for inviting us to speak on ‘Foliage and Fillers’. We so enjoy our trips out to share our knowledge and enthusiasm with keen gardeners. #gardentalks #gardensociety #gardenersofinstagram

Dreaming of all things floral during the darker winter months? Our first two workshops for this year are open for bookings now. Saturday 5th April ‘learn how to create your own cut flower patch’ then Saturday 7th June ‘What to do now in your garden’ More details on our website and 10% off when both workshops are booked. We look forward to having you with us! #northyorkshire #learnhowtogarden #cutflowerpatch https://www.abrightprospect.co.uk/workshops

Happy New Year! A few hours outside today rewarded me not only with feathered friend company and calm but a rainbow and numerous scented winter shrubs starting to impress. #wintergarden #robinredbreast

Super morning with a lovely class of people learning how to plant their winter and spring containers with a variety of colourful plants and bulbs. The potting shed was cosy and warm with cake a plenty next to the Aga in the kitchen and the practical work under cover of the gazebo. #containerplants #autumnworkshops #bulbplanting

‘Rain…what rain?’, we cry! Nothing stops us from digging big holes for lovely new plants. Still so many flowers in the garden to make a table arrangement for a neighbour’s special birthday. #soakingwet #autumngardening #mud

Autumn bulb time! Join us 10am-12.30pm on Thursday 7th November, creating beautiful pots for the spring to come, and creative combinations to brighten the doorstep on a winter’s day. For more details and to book now, visit our website www.abrightprospect.co.uk

The abundance of an early autumn with so much to celebrate here. Lots of plans too for next year, we even made a spreadsheet of each border edit. #latesummergarden #autumn #dahlias

Jar of Joy for all occasions!
Freshly cut, seasonal English flowers including special dahlias, grown in Burton Leonard.
£5 medium (right ) or £8 large posie (left)
Now sold at our village shop @burtonleonardpo from each Thursday or preorder with Cathy on 07989 195773.

Flowers for the house straight from the garden, tastefully arranged by @elaine_hadfield_floral_design, snapshots of the long border where the ‘Chelsea chopped’ perennials are finally flowering and today we welcomed a group of 30 visitors from Leeds U3A. Always a pleasure to show people round and discuss all things horticultural. #summergarden #perennials #cutflowersfrommygarden

Today’s beauty is Rosa Timeless Purple, ‘Generously proportioned, and richly perfumed, the pinkish-purple blooms of this hybrid tea rose put on a sumptuous display over an extended period from early summer’ and the oddly named Dahlia Engelhardt’s Matador, a cheery presence in the pink border. #dahliasofinstagram #englishroses

Thank you Mollie from @horticulturemagazine for interviewing me in the garden earlier this year. Click the link in our bio to watch it! #horticulturemagazine #gardentour #garden

Busy few days enjoying the sunshine. We visited Thornton Hall near Darlington @thorntonhallgardens which had stunning multicoloured borders including some very unusual plants. Today’s excitement was planting up two pots to frame the gate entrance and splitting some pond plants. At least it was cool in the pond. The Canterbury Bells (Campanula Double Finest) biennials are also all making a long awaited show of flowers around the new Pyrus Chanticleer trees. Hot work but fun here as usual. #summerinthegarden #gardenersofinstragram #gardenvisits

Very busy with preparation for this year’s open garden event on Sunday afternoon. The forecast looks dry at least so that’s a bonus! Lots of lovely plants for sale from Ridgefield Hardy Plants and Ben @cliff_bank_nursery has also kindly provided a stunning choice! Please come along :) #ngsopengardens #ngsyorkshire

Enjoying late flowering perennial tulips Artist, Grönland and Spring Green this year, all planted last November in the hope they’ll return. Also managed to catch the Northern Lights on Friday. Beauty all round :)
#perennialtulips #latespring #gardensofinstagram🌿🌱🌻

After changing the pot planting in two containers yesterday, I had a fun morning helping on the #nationalgardenscheme at the #harrogateflowershow where Dee and I chatted to lots of interested people. Happily left my greenhouse full of trays of annual flower seedlings, dahlias and salvias behind for the day.#yorkshirengs #ngsopengardens #seedlings #cutflowerseedlings #gardenersofinstagram

As you can see from my happy photo, it was a joy to visit two famous gardens this weekend, Sissinghurst in Kent then Great Dixter in East Sussex, both very different in style but equally inspiring. I’ve returned to look up whether lots of the plants will survive our northern winters. If so, they’ll be on my shopping list. #sissinghurstcastlegarden #greatdixter #springplanting #tulipsofinstagram

Two days of garden fun, firstly at the stunning #ellerkerhousegardens Open Gardens for #ngsyorkshire then today, putting all our creative energy into staking the peonies. First cut down the woody cornus stems then weave the more pliable stems around and over the plants. Two larger peonies needed a hazel frame first and string to secure the hoops of Cornus Flaviramea. We took our inspiration for this from National Trust #beningboroughhall staking. Hardly any rain today for a change! #plantsupports #cornussanguinea #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #englishspringgarden

A few snapshots of the garden this week so far when I laid a log border edge in the woodland area. It was simple and cheap to do with a sturdy liner underneath to prolong its life, hopefully for the long term. The soggy lawn will surely recover…I’m still mulching borders and spent quite some time literally in the Ribes sanguineum ‚White Icicle’ shrub but with chance to admire the crocus/Ribes and snowdrop combination. The sun even shone too! #gardenersofinstragram #happyplace #springsunshine #woodlandgarden

Raring to sow, thinking of all the pretty things to come. Not tempted outside today much as it’s pouring down again. Time to bake a rhubarb and ginger cake instead #sowingseeds #rainyengland #gardenersofinstagram🌱 #februarysowing

Clearing leaves from a border today, we discovered not just one but two hedgehogs hibernating in separate warm piles of leaves. Thankfully, we’d been only using our hands to remove leaves so we quickly piled them up and over the cosy hedgehogs again. I’ll put out some cat or dog food near the piles, just in case it disturbed them and they need to feed before curling back up again. Meanwhile, in my eagerness to see spring flowers, I brought the outside indoors with a pretty copper container of primroses, snowdrops and the odd hyacinth. #hedgehog #springflowers #springbulb #wintergardening

Fun evening giving a talk to Kirk Hammerton Garden Club on ‚Bringing Light and Scent to the Winter Garden‘. We took in cuttings of many different plants. To enjoy the beautiful scent of Daphne Jaqueline postill, sarcococca, virbirnum bondantense and hamamellis pallida (thanks to @gardenenergy), we handed round the branches. A well received evening in a pretty village hall! #gardentalks #wintergardening #gardenersofinstragram

Rain prevents play so how to cheer oneself up? Warm kitchen, mugs of tea and good friends. We’re planning the cut flower seed order for #elaine_hadfield_floral_design ,bringing up pictures of lovely sunny flowers-to-be and wishing I had bigger cut flower beds to fit it all in. #cutflowergarden #seedorder #gardenersofinstagram🌱#nationalgardensscheme#theenglishgardenmagazine#chilternseeds

The old Mahonia has a lovely scent and shape after judicious pruning last year. Today‘s fun was to add a low, hazel fence to draw the eye down the woodland border edge. Low light stopped play when we couldn’t see the soil any more! #wintergardening #mahoniaflowers #gardenersofinstagram #hazelfence #outdoors

Exciting new workshops for 2024! Book your place now :) #gardenworkshops #gardencourses #learninginthegarden

Happy Gardening Year to all our followers! So enjoying being outside again amongst the scent of winter flowering shrubs such as this Daphne Jacqueline postill, well worth the five year wait for it to find its feet. Working alongside the scent of Sarcococca makes the job of mulching much more pleasant. I was particularly pleased to see the leaves of two years‘ collection have finally rotted down to make a wonderful leaf mould which, mixed with half a barrow of our own and some bought in compost, is perfect mulch to enrich the borders and help water retention in the drier seasons. It’s certainly not that yet! The lower lawn is sodden; best to avoid walking on any lawn or border if possible. #wintergardening #gardenersofinstagram #lovingmygarden #winterfloweringshrubs

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