Gardening enthusiasts David Leech and John Wilde completely revamped part of their award-winning Staffordshire garden – after two 80ft trees had to come down before they fell on their cottage home.

They set about the task with vigour and have now created more interest and variety to a very large collection of plants which visitors can see during a charity opening on Sunday.

David and John are to open their garden at Holly Cottage, School Lane, Admaston, near Rugeley, for St Giles Hospice, Lichfield, after taking last year off to deal with the tree crisis in their well-designed creation.

They have been recreating the three gardens constantly over 23 years but changes over the last 12 months were forced as two giant sycamores threatened to fall on their cottage home.

“It was a big effort because the trees had to be craned out of the garden and of course when they had gone there was a need for a massive re-design,” David said.

“This included the removal of a 90 ft long conifer hedge as well so there was plenty of scope to introduce more plants.”

They have used their new-found space to plant up some fine acers and rhododendrons and enjoyed the opportunity to introduce even more plants to their collection.

It is a big weekend for garden openings with the six gardens around Morville Hall at Morville, near Bridgnorth, open for the National Gardens Scheme.

The gardens include Dr Katherine Swift’s fabulous historically-themed garden at The Dower House, the vineyard of Ian Rowe and a couple of colourful gardens.

In the Eccleshall area, near Stafford, there are two attractive gardens open.

At Birch Trees there are many fine perennials and impressive herbaceous borders created by Susan and John Weston.

And nearby, at Lower House at Sugnall Parma, John and Anthea Treanor have unusual perennials and shrubs in drifts of purple, pinks and creams. In the Worcestershire area Mike and Sue Butler open Gladderbrook Farm garden near Stourport-on-Severn.

There they have introduced many unusual trees and shrubs and have a wild meadow and a nursery.