Two beautiful inner-south gardens are open on Sunday, providing opportunities to relax in their peaceful surrounds while buying goods such as home-made jams or Aboriginal art.

Jane Scroope has been opening her Griffith garden for five years to raise money for projects in remote Aboriginal communities and rural families in Western Australia in areas such as education, gardening and food banks.

''People come, they stay, they sit in the courtyard and have tea and coffee and they run into all these people they haven't met for a long time,'' she said.

This year, she is joined by her friend Jill Bestic. Her garden in Griffith features ceramic sculptures.

Both gardens are part of the Weekend in the Gardens - Connecting Communities program.

Ms Bestic has also created a range of retro-influenced aprons made from reclaimed fabrics. These, along with Japanese water chains and Aboriginal artworks from the Warlukurlangu Art Centre of Yuendumu, where Ms Bestic has worked, will be on sale.

Across the region the official Open Gardens Australia program also starts on Sunday.

In Goulburn, the historic lawns of Riversdale, a National Trust property, will host a garden fair with a selection of specialist plant growers and food stalls.

The property dates back to 1840 and the garden has been gradually restored.

It features old roses, bulbs, irises, peonies, elms, a honey locust and a flowering medlar from the 1840s and 1850s, while some of the fruit trees in the old orchard date from the 1860s.

Ms Bestic's garden is at 87 Jansz Crescent, Griffith. Plants, jams, preserves, morning and afternoon tea and craft will be on sale at Ms Scroope's garden. It is at 17 Stokes Street, Griffith.

The gardens will be open from 10am to 4pm with entry costing $10 to both gardens.