By PAT GILL BOLTON

OLD bed pans, nursing equipment, mirrors and tables are among the features of Diane Griffiths' unique garden which she opens to the public each year as part of the National Gardens Scheme.

Diane's 150 square yard garden, which has been featured on TV three times, is home to a number of items which few people would dream of putting in their gardens. Diane's "junk" pieces take pride of place alongside more conventional attractions such as water features, trellises, obelisks, statues and arches.

"I don't throw things out," said Diane, who used to be a nurse which explains the bed pans, old jugs and enamel containers lurking in their lush setting, with a scarecrow looking on.

"My garden isn't to everybody's taste, but it is unusual," she said.

In the summer, Diane's garden can take six or seven hours a day to look after. Her husband, Derek, isn't a gardener, but he lends a hand putting up trellises and the like.

Diane, of Irwell Road, Stockton Heath, lets upwards of 200 people wander around her garden on one day each year for the National Gardens Scheme, raising between £500 and £600 for a range of charities. She also does teas. Diane opens up her garden in tandem with her friend, Gwen Carter, of Cranborne Avenue, just five minutes walk away, and the two are listed with the Scheme as "Warrington Gardens."

"The criteria for being in the scheme is that you have to have enough to interest people for 20 minutes to half an hour," said Diane. "The scheme sends people round to check that your garden is suitable." Last year, it raised £50,000 nationally.

"This year, it's very important for the small gardens to open because a lot of the bigger ones in rural areas will be closed through foot and mouth disease," said Diane.

She also lets horticultural groups and other organisations go round her garden, providing they have an appointment.

In contrast to Diane's garden, Gwen's is elegant and sensuous, with pastel colours and fragrant plants and herbs. There are statues, a wall fountain and a pond with lots of frogs.

Gwen does a lot of propagating and sells plants to visitors. Favourites last year were grasses. This year, Gwen is propagating camomile, violas, campanulas and honesty among other plants.

A little help is provided by husband John, but in the main, the garden is Gwen's interest.

She has been a serious gardener for seven years. When Gwen first started to let visitors into her garden, she was a little apprehensive, but this soon passed.

"Gardeners are usually quite sociable people. Everyone is very nice. Some of them travel quite long distances from places such as Stockport, Manchester, Chester and North Wales," she said.

Diane's and Gwen's gardens will be open to the public from 11 am to 6pm on Sunday, July 8. Diane can be contacted on 01925 244267.