This May Bank Holiday weekend, a Rayleigh garden designer is opening her private garden to the public to raise funds for the Friends of Holy Trinity Church.
From Saturday, May 23rd to Monday, May 25th, Monica Knight will welcome visitors to ‘Treetops Rose Garden’ on Westview Drive. The steeply tiered plot, located at the bottom of Great Wheatley Road, is home to more than 400 mature David Austin roses.
Entry is completely free, with visitors encouraged to make a voluntary donation to the church.
The garden features seven large rose arches and hundreds of hybrid tea roses, ranging from deep crimsons to soft blush pinks. Knight selected each variety specifically for its scent and natural disease resistance, meaning the garden thrives without harsh chemicals. Visitors can expect strong fragrances of old rose, myrrh, tea, and fruit, alongside traditional companion planting like peonies, foxgloves, fuchsia, and love-in-a-mist.
“I’ve spent years designing and tending to this space, and the roses are looking particularly fantastic this year,” says Knight. “It seemed like the perfect time to open the gates to the local community, share the garden, and hopefully raise some much-needed funds for the Friends of Holy Trinity Church in the process.”
The open weekend offers a great local day out for gardening enthusiasts across Rayleigh, Eastwood, Hockley, and Leigh-on-Sea.
Event Details:
What: Treetops Rose Garden Open Weekend
Where: Westview Drive (bottom of Great Wheatley Road), Rayleigh
When: Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily
Entry: Free (Donations to Friends of Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh are welcomed)
