Gardens to visit in English counties
By English Counties
see these pages for Scotland or Wales
Here are some links to gardens to visit, either locally or whist on holiday in English counties. The sites we list include other sites recommending gardens as well as individual gardens.
The gardens listed include gardens which have limited access for people to visit, as well as other gardens open to the public all the year round - so check the opening times of particular gardens before going.
General Open Garden sites
British Red Cross Open Gardens programme offers a rare opportunity to explore the secrets of some hidden and private gardens not usually open to the public.
English Heritage - Lists The English Heritage gardens and properties open to The public.
Garden History and Garden Tours - International guide to gardens to visit - includes large number of UK gardens.
National Gardens Scheme - The Charity behind The Yellow Book of gardens open to The public. Often small and usual gardens open just one or two days a year. The site includes The GardenFinder database for finding gardens to visit.
National Trust - Lists The gardens and property owned by The National Trust in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
TopGardens to visit in Berkshire
Basildon Park
location: Lower Basildon, Reading, RG8 9NR
Expansive countryside surrounds the Basildon Park mansion house with splendid views towards the Thames and the Chilterns. Enjoy a walk in our 400 acres of parkland and woodland, and take in the breathtaking views. Throughout the year enjoy the changing colours of the landscape.
The garden is beautiful all year round. Take a stroll around Lady Iliffe's Rose Garden, enjoy a game of noughts and crosses in the hazel hideout then relax on the lawn with a picnic and make the most of the glorious views of the house and surroundings.
Englefield House Gardens
location: Theale, RG7 5DU
Much of the original planting is still in place and this includes varieties of rhododendron, azalea, camellia, magnolia, hamamelis, parrotia, cornus, davidia and acer.
Check the website for opening dates and times etc.
RISC Roof Garden
location: 35-39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS
An edible forest garden on the flat roof above the conference hall. Designed as an educational tool using permaculture principles, the garden has become an oasis in the centre of Reading, a demonstration of how a garden can support more sustainable lifestyles and provide a practical solution to the problems of 'Peak oil' and global climate change.
Check the website for Open Days etc.
The Living Rainforest
location: Hampstead Norreys, RG18 0TN
Explore the rainforest, and discover its wonders for yourself. Look out for free roaming lizards, birds and butterflies - you never know where they will appear next! Plus monkeys, a crocodile, toucans, snakes and much more. See some of the world's most popular food plants - bananas, coffee, cocoa, ginger, vanilla - and plants that give us life -enhancing medicines, cosmetics and building materials.
website: https://livingrainforest.orgWindsor Great Park
location: Windsor, SL4 2HT
Once part of a vast Norman hunting forest it was enclosed in the late 13th Century. Covering 2,020 hectares of parkland, it includes a mix of formal avenues, gardens, woodland, open grassland and a Deer Park.
The Great Park and its forest are renowned for its scattering of great ancient oaks, which all add to the magnificent history of the Great Park.
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Gardens to visit in Buckinghamshire
Stowe
location: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, MK18 5EQ
Picture -perfect views, winding paths, lakeside walks and temples create a timeless landscape, reflecting the changing seasons. Full of hidden meaning, the gardens were created as an earthly paradise, and still cast their spell today.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Waddesdon Manor
location: Aylesbury, Bucks, HP18 0JH
Enjoy the Gardens in spring as the flowers start to bloom and the sun begins to shine.
Take a stroll down the Baron's Walk to see thousands of tiny snowdrops and blossom on the trees.
See how the Garden comes alive in spring and enjoy some bright sunny days.
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Gardens to visit in Cambridgeshire
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill
location: Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB25 9EJ
A Jacobean -style house with 46 hectares (114 acres) gardens and a working watermill.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Cambridge University Botanic Garden
location: 1 Brookside Leaf, Cambridge, CB2 1JE
- the website includes details of the garden, location and events.
website: https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/Chippenham Park Gardens
location: Chippenham, Ely, CB7 5PT
- Chippenham Park has a large and diverse range of gardens ranging from wooded lakeside walks, many roses, a 400m long border and modern formal gardens. For several weeks early in the year it is a carpet of white with snowdrops, aconites and winter blosso
website: https://www.chippenhamparkgard....Peckover House and Garden
location: North Brink, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 1JR
The gardens are outstanding - 0.8 hectares (2 acres) of sensory delight, complete with orangery, summer -houses, croquet lawn and rose garden with more than 60 species of rose.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Top
Gardens to visit in Cheshire
Arley Hall & Gardens
location: Northwich, CW9 6NA
- The Gardens, which are amongst the finest in Britain, are outstanding for their vitality, variety and historical interest and are particularly celebrated for the magnificent double herbaceous border.
website: https://www.arleyhallandgarden....Bluebell Cottage
location: Lodge Lane, Dutton, Nr Warrington. WA4 4HP
The garden wraps around Bluebell Cottage, with winding paths enticing the visitor to explore its many different sections. There's a very productive small orchard, undersown with a pretty wild flower meadow.
website: https://www.bluebellcottage.co....Mount Pleasant Gardens
location: Yeld Lane, Kelsall, CW6 0TB
The gardens boast thousands of varieties of plants and are a riot of colour throughout the summer season. The tiered garden cascades down a gently sloping hillside providing outstanding views over the Cheshire Plain.
website: https://www.mountpleasantgarde....Rode Hall
location: Scholar Green, Cheshire, ST7 3QP
- With new plantings, the gardens are constantly evolving and the 10 acre site set amongst sheep -grazed parkland provides plenty of opportunity for innovation. The small Italian Garden, created in 2007 in the ruined Old Tenants' Hall, has a fountain, Italian cypress and olive trees.
website: http://www.rodehall.co.uk/Tatton Park
location: Knutsford, WA16 6QN
Herds of Red and Fallow deer roam freely in 1,000 acres of parkland. The meres, woodlands and rough grassland provide a perfect habitat for wildlife.
The parkland is a stunning setting for a leisurely stroll or high -octane cycle. You can also take a stroll through 50 acres of beautiful gardens reflecting over 250 years of garden design.The gardens are renowned for their remarkable glasshouses, the Japanese Garden, considered the finest in Europe and the extensive Kitchen Gardens, still producing fruit and vegetables today.
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Gardens to visit in Cornwall
Caerhays Castle and Gardens
location: Caerhays, Gorran, St Austell, PL26 6LY
- The 100 acre garden at Caerhays contains a combination of both spectacular spring displays of enormous tree magnolias rhododendrons and camellias as well as a huge range of rare woodland trees and shrubs originating primarily from China.
website: https://visit.caerhays.co.uk/Eden Project
location: Bodelva, St Austell, PL24 2SG
- is nestled in a huge crater. Here, massive Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and stories serve as a backdrop to our striking contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year -round family events.
website: https://www.edenproject.com/Hidden Valley Gardens
location: Treesmill, (nr Par), PL24 2TU
- an intimate award -winning three acre garden and specialist plant nursery, nestled in a secluded hidden valley.
website: https://www.hiddenvalleygarden....Lost Gardens of Heligan
location: Pentewan. St.Austell, PL26 6E
- The award winning Lost Gardens of Heligan extend to some eighty acres of superb pleasure grounds together with a magnificent complex of walled gardens and a huge, productive vegetable garden, all fast returning to their former glory.
Lying at the heart of one of the most mysterious estates in England, the former seat of the Tremayne family is now the site of the largest garden restoration in Europe.
Contact 01752 843388 or 07767 444816.
Trebah
location: Mawnan Smith, Nr Falmouth, TR11 5JZ
- a spectacular 26 acre Cornish ravine garden, rated among the 80 finest gardens in the world. This sub -tropical paradise is home to a unique collection of rare and exotic plants, trees and shrubs winding down to a private and secluded beach on the Helfor
website: https://www.trebahgarden.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in Cumbria
Acorn Bank Garden
location: Temple Sowerby, Penrith, CA10 1SP
- Wander along the Crowdundle Beck to the partially restored watermill, enjoying wildlife in the woods on the way, and discover more about the history of gypsum mining on the estate. Enjoy the views across the Eden Valley to the Lake District from the magnificent backdrop of the sandstone house.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Brantwood
location: Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8AD
At the Estate's heart are eight unique and beautiful gardens which continue the many radical experiments in land management and horticulture which Ruskin began. They are broadly divided into three areas - the northern and southern gardens, which involve some walking uphill, and the lower gardens which are suitable for all.
website: https://www.brantwood.org.uk/Holker Hall and Gardens
location: Cark-in-Cartmel, Nr Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 7PL
The immaculately kept gardens (25 acres in all) are part woodland and part formal garden. These are complimented by the 200 -acre 'natural' parkland, which is the result of late 18th century planting by Lord George Cavendish. Over generations the family have continued to develop the gardens and they are constantly evolving as new plantings are made or new ideas are born and Lord and Lady Cavendish continue to make changes and additions to these gardens.
website: https://www.holker.co.uk/Levens Hall
location: Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 0PD
- a fine Elizabethan house and world -famous gardens, also the Bellingham Buttery for home -made cooking. All ages will find much to discover and enjoy.
website: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/Rydal Mount
location: Ambleside, Lake District, LA22 9LU
- Wordsworth was a keen landscape gardener and the four acre garden remains very much as he designed it.
It consists of fell -side terraces, including Dora's Terrace, rock pools and an ancient mound. There are rare shrubs and, in season, the daffodils, bluebells and rhododendrons produce a spectacular display of colour.
Sizergh
location: Sizergh, near Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8AE Sat Nav : LA8 8DZ
Beautiful medieval house, with rich gardens and estate.
Its rich and beautiful garden includes a pond, lake, a national collection of hardy ferns and a superb limestone rock garden.
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Gardens to visit in Derbyshire
Chatsworth
location: Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1PP
- Chatsworth is one of Britain's most celebrated historic houses and estates, offering something for everyone to enjoy, from world famous works of art and spectacular fountains to elegant shops and more than a hundred miles of free walks.
The home of the Devonshire family is set in the heart of England, in Derbyshire's Peak District National Park, surrounded by one of the most magnificent landscapes in the country.
Renishaw Hall Gardens
location: Renishaw, Sheffield, S21 3WB
- Renishaw Hall and its impressive gardens have been the home of the Sitwell family for over 350 years. The beautiful Italianate garden, park and lake were the creation of the eccentric Sir George Sitwell.
website: https://renishaw-hall.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in Devon
Castle Drogo
location: Drewsteignton, near Exeter, EX6 6PB
Discover the beautiful Lutyens -designed terraced garden, the highest in the care of the National Trust, with dramatic views of Dartmoor. There's plenty to see from the rose gardens to the quaint Bunty House (Wendy House) complete with its own miniature garden.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Hartland Abbey and Gardens
location: Hartland, Bideford, EX39 6DT
The beautiful 18thC Walled and Woodland gardens, the walks and the parkland provide visitors with extensive grounds through which to wander and enjoy the stunning valley leading down to the Atlantic Ocean.
website: https://www.hartlandabbey.comKnightshayes
location: Bolham, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RQ
Discover Knightshayes, a country estate on a grand, gothic scale with acres of glorious gardens and parkland, surrounding a spectacular Gothic Revival house, Knightshayes is the complete country gentleman's dream.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Marwood Hill Garden
location: Marwood, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX31 4EB
This magical and very special 20 acre private garden with three lakes is set in a valley tucked away in North Devon only 4 miles from Barnstaple. The gardens are a wonderful haven in which to relax and enjoy the impressive collections of plants, shrubs and trees and experience the views and peaceful atmosphere.
website: http://marwoodhillgarden.co.uk/Plant World Garden Centre
location: St Marychurch Rd, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4SE
is one of the floral delights of Devon. The Garden is laid out to represent the five continents of the world. Our inspirational gardens contain countless rare and exotic plants seldom seen outside their native lands.
website: http://www.plant-world-gardens....RHS Rosemoor Garden
location: Great Torrington, Devon, EX38 8PH
Nestled in a Devon valley, Rosemoor blends formal and informal plantings to magical effect
website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens....Stone Lane Gardens
location: Stone Farm, Chagford, TQ13 8JU
- is a 5 acre arboretum presenting "The Mythic Garden", an annual sculpture exhibition, amid National Collections of Birch and Alder in a landscaped water & woodland setting.
website: http://www.mythicgarden.eclips....Tapeley Park & Gardens
location: Tapeley Park, Instow, North Devon, EX39 4NT
The Gardens at Tapeley Park are a magical balance of nature and nurture. From the formal terraces to the natural grace of the Lake, it feeds the spirit and cleanses the heart of all who see it and experience its beauty. With thoughtful woodland walks, abundant organic vegetable gardens and surprising animal encounters, a day at Tapeley Park is truly a day to remember.
website: https://www.christieestates.co....The Garden House
location: Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, PL20 7LQ
, a garden steeped in history set in a tranquil Devon valley. The 8 -acre garden is several gardens in one, from the beautiful Walled Garden surrounding the ruins of Buckland's medieval vicarage to the more recently created areas in the Long Walk. Discover hidden treasures along its countless pathways and enjoy the sights, fragrances and abundance of plants on display.
website: https://www.thegardenhouse.org....Top
Gardens to visit in Dorset
Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens
location: Bullers Way, Abbotsbury
- a mixture of formal and informal, with charming walled garden walks and spectacular woodland valley views. World famous for its Camellia Groves and Magnolias, noted for its Rhododendrons and Hydrangea collections.
website: https://abbotsbury-tourism.co.....Compton Acres
location: Poole, BH13 7ES
- Compton Acres is 10 acres of privately owned gardens with a unique series of stunning tranquil gardens offering spectacular views of Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island, and the Purbeck Hills beyond.
website: https://www.comptonacres.co.ukLyn and Malcolm
location: 357 Ringwood Road, Ferndown, BH22 9AE
- Lyn's garden is in a Cottage style with many favourite old and new plants. Phlox, lilies, roses and monarda, are planted to encourage butterflies and bees, as well as giving a riot of colour and scent into late summer. 100+ different Clematis are woven into and around it all.
Walk through a Moorish keyhole doorway into Malcolm's Exotic garden. large bananas, brugmansias, cannas, oleander, agave, ipomoea and dahlia, come together in a Spanish influenced design.
Minterne House
location: Minterne Magna, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7AU
- The Minterne Valley was landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th Century. The gardens are laid out in a horseshoe below Minterne House, with a chain of small lakes, waterfalls and streams. They contain an unique collection of Himalayan Rhododendrons and Azaleas, with Spring bulbs, Cherries, Maples and many fine and rare trees; the garden is noted for its Autumn colouring. Check the website for opening times etc.
website: https://minterne.co.ukTop
Gardens to visit in Durham (County)
Crook Hall and Gardens
location: Frankland Lane, Sidegate, Durham, DH1 5SZ
The 13th century Grade I listed Medieval hall provides a spectacular backdrop to the stunning gardens just a short walk from the city's bustling market place.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Durham University Botanic Garden
location: Hollingside Lane, South Road, Durham City, DH1 3TN
- Various areas include Annual Border, the Prince Bishops' Garden, Grass Collection, Cactus House, Tropical House, Conservatory and Tropical Bugs and Butterflies and much much more.
website: https://www.dur.ac.uk/botanic.....Old Durham Gardens
location: Durham
can be found less than a mile east of Durham City Centre. The gardens can be reached through a number of walks, including a very pleasant route through Pelaw Woods and provide a charming public space for everyone to enjoy. Here you will find a beautiful walled garden and terraces running down to a restored orchard. They were established more than 350 years ago and you can find out more about their development in the history section.
website: http://olddurhamgardens.co.ukTop
Gardens to visit in Essex
Marks Hall Garden and Arboretum
location: Coggeshall, CO6 1TG
The Gardens and Arboretum feature a tree collection from all the temperate areas of the world set in more than 200 acres of historic landscape providing interest and enjoyment throughout the year.
website: https://www.markshall.org.uk/RHS Garden Hyde Hall
location: Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, CM3 8ET
- This 360 -acre estate is constantly evolving, as the gardening team strive to retain the original intimacy and charm of this horticultural gem, while at the same time aiming to restore much of the estate to its former rural glory, including its historic hedgerows and woodland.
website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens....Rose Cottage Garden
location: Bay Tree Farm, Epping Green, CM16 6PU
- Open regularly as part of the charitable National Gardens Yellow Book scheme and featured in various magazines. Specialists in a wide range of bulbs and hardy perennials. The plants are a mix of cottage garden favourites and a wide variety of more unusual types - all a pleasure to have in your garden.
website: https://www.rosecottageplants.....The Beth Chatto Gardens
location: Elmstead Market, Colchester, CO7 7DB
From an overgrown wasteland with poor gravel soil and boggy hollows, it has been transformed into an informal garden harmonising with the surrounding countryside.
website: https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/The Gibberd Garden
location: Marsh Lane, Gilden Way, Harlow, CM17 0NA
On the outskirts of Harlow there is a garden full of beauty, peace and tranquillity. It is a wonderful place to stroll and be inspired. Every turn reveals another aspect or a work of art, for this garden was created by Sir Frederick Gibberd, the planner of Harlow New Town, who designed the garden and filled the grounds with sculptures, ceramic pots and architectural salvage from 1972 till his death in 1984.
website: https://www.thegibberdgarden.c....Top
Gardens to visit in Gloucestershire
Colesbourne Park
location: Colesbourne, Nr. Cheltenham, GL53 9NP
- This has Various gardens displaying bulbs and An Arboretum.
website: http://www.colesbournegardens.....Hidcote
location: Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6LR
Experience one of the country's great gardens.
Hidcote is an Arts and Crafts garden in the north Cotswolds, a stone's throw from Stratford -upon -Avon. Created by the talented American horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston its colourful and intricately designed outdoor 'rooms' are always full of surprises. It's a must -see if you're on holiday in the Cotswolds.
Westonbirt Arboretum
location: Tetbury, GL8 8QS
- Westonbirt National Arboretum is renowned worldwide both for its tree and shrub collection and its beautifully landscaped grounds. Today the collection contains around 18,000 numbered specimens covering some 600 acres of Grade 1 Listed Landscape.
website: https://www.forestry.gov.uk/we....Top
Gardens to visit in Hampshire
Gertrude Jekyll
location: Upton Grey, RG25 2RD
- garden restored over the last 20 years - it was the garden that Gertrude Jekyll had designed in 1908 for Charles Holme, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement.
website: https://gertrudejekyllgarden.c....Hinton Ampner
location: Bramdean, Alresford, SO24 0LA
Beautifully manicured lawns lead the eye down avenues of sculptured topiary, past borders full of the heady scent of roses, to breathtaking views across the South Downs.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Mottisfont
location: near Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0LP
A romantic house and gallery set in beautiful riverside gardens.
Ancient trees, bubbling brooks and rolling lawns frame this lovely old house. Crafted from a medieval priory, it is full of surprises, with art that intrigues and delights. Come back throughout the year to see different exhibitions in the gallery and the latest installations by our artists in residence.
Carpets of spring bulbs, a stunning walled rose garden, rich autumn leaves and a colourful winter garden make Mottisfont a feast for the senses all year round.
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
location: Jermyns Lane, Romsey, SO51 0QA
- The magnificent collection of over 42,000 plants from temperate regions around the world grows in a variety of superb themed landscapes set over 180 acres.
website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/thing....West Green House Garden
location: West Green, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, RG27 8JB
Celebrated garden with an intriguing collection of follies.
A delightful series of walled gardens surrounds the charming 18th -century house.
The garden has many original features including a grand water staircase, created by Marylyn Abbott, providing the focal point to the Nymphaeum fountain designed by Quinlan Terry.
West Green House Gardens
location: Thackhams Lane, Hartley Wintney, RG27 8JB
The garden combines neo -classical style with contemporary design. A grand water staircase provides a focal point to the Nymphaeum Fountain designed by architect Quinlan Terry. The magnificent Walled Garden, faithfully restored to its original lines, is entered through an arbor of wisteria. An alley of apple trees divides its elaborate potager with its berry filled fruit cages, annual flowers and colourful vegetables from its signature perennial borders exuberantly planted in subtle hues of mauve, plum and blue.
website: https://www.westgreenhouse.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in Herefordshire
Hampton Court Gardens
location: Hope-Under-Dinmore, Leominster, HR6 0PN
- surrounds the castle on the meadows of the river Lugg, backed by a steep wooded escarpment and extend to some 1,000 acres.
website: https://www.hamptoncourtcastle....Hergest Croft Gardens
location: Kington, HR5 3EG
lies in the heart of the Welsh Marches with stunning views towards the Black Mountains. There are gorgeous flower borders. An old fashioned Kitchen Garden, Azalea Garden, Maple Grove, and Park Wood, all to discover.
website: https://www.hergest.co.ukKentchurch Court
location: Pontrilas, HR2 0DB
The gardens at Kentchurch Court have developed over the years since John Lucy Scudamore inherited the house in 1815. Much of the 25 acre gardens roots can be found in the picturesque landscape style, popular during that period.
website: https://www.kentchurchcourt.co.ukWestonbury Mill Water Gardens
location: Pembridge, HR6 9HZ
- The watery world of Westonbury, two acres set among the cider orchards of Northwest Herefordshire, is a veritable haven for aquatic plants and animals.
website: https://www.westonburymillwate....Top
Gardens to visit in Hertfordshire
Hatfield House gardens
location: Hatfield, AL9 5NQ
The garden at Hatfield House dates from the early 17th century when Robert Cecil employed John Tradescant the Elder to collect plants for his new home. Tradescant was sent to Europe where he found and brought back trees, bulbs, plants and fruit trees, which had never previously been grown in England.
website: https://www.hatfield-house.co.....Top
Gardens to visit in Isle of Wight
Mottistone Manor Gardens
location: Mottistone, near Brighstone, Isle of Wight, PO30 4EA
Set in a sheltered valley this magical garden is full of surprises, with shrub -filled banks, hidden pathways and colourful herbaceous borders. Surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house this 20th -century garden is experimenting with a Mediterranean -style planting scheme to take advantage of its southerly location.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Osborne House
location: York Avenue, East Cowes, Isle of Wight - PO32 6JX
It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" - such were the words of Queen Victoria after her first visit to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Admire the stunning view from the terraces across the Solent - said to remind Prince Albert of the bay of Naples - and stroll through Osborne's extensive grounds.
website: https://www.english-heritage.o....Shanklin Chine
location: Esplanade Shanklin, Isle of Wight, PO37 6BW
Enjoy the unique tranquillity of Shanklin Chine, This famous leafy gorge is much loved by poets, artists and writers. The winding woodland, with its steep sides is a magical place for rare plants, wildlife and enchanting waterfalls.
website: https://shanklinchine.co.uk/Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Isle of Wight
location: Undercliff Drive Ventnor, PO38 1UL
- Ventnor Botanic Garden is one of the youngest botanic gardens in Britain. Commenced in 1970 as the Steephill Pleasure Gardens the potential of the site was soon recognised by the Late Sir Harold Hillier, the internationally famous plantsman of Winchester.
website: https://www.botanic.co.ukTop
Gardens to visit in Kent
Hever Castle
location: Nr Edenbridge, TN8 7NG
- The spectacular gardens were laid out between 1904 and 1908 by Joseph Cheal & Sons, turning marshland into the splendid gardens you see today. The Millennium Fountain can be found on Sixteen Acre Island, forming an interesting feature at the far end of this more informal area of the gardens. The 110 metre herbaceous border has been reinstated and Sunday Walk created, providing a peaceful woodland garden following the course of a stream. In addition to the existing Yew Maze, a splashing water maze has been built on Sixteen Acre Island - a unique feature which is especially popular with the children! More recently, an hour long walk around the lake has been opened for visitors to enjoy, with waterfall, splashes and wartime pillboxes.
website: https://www.hevercastle.co.ukMount Ephraim Gardens
location: Hernhill, Faversham, ME13 9TX
- in the heart of an 800 acre estate incorporating the house, gardens, progressive fruit farm and grazing. The splendid late Victorian mansion and gardens have magnificent views over the parkland and the Swale and Thames estuary.
website: https://www.mountephraimgarden....Sissinghurst Castle Garden
location: Biddenden Road, near Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2AB
Sissinghurst Castle Garden was the backdrop for a diverse history; from the astonishing time as a prison in the 1700s, to being a home to the women's land army. It was also a family home to some fascinating people who lived here or came to stay. We've undertaken research this winter to find out more about Vita and Harold's original design and we are taking steps to recapture the vision that they had. Keep an eye out for changes we are making around the garden this year. Don't miss the vast panoramic views from the top of the Tower, the working farm and the 450 -acre wider estate.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Top
Gardens to visit in Leicestershire
Barnsdale Gardens,
location: The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH
- The gardens at Barnsdale in Rutland were built by Britain's television gardener Geoff Hamilton over several years for the BBC TV Gardeners' World programme and various other BBC specials. Since Geoff's death in 1996, his gardens have been open to the public and include a nursery of choice and unusual plants, mainly propagated from the gardens.
website: https://barnsdalegardens.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in Lincolnshire
Easton Walled Gardens
location: Easton, Grantham, NG33 5AP
- Easton Walled Gardens is home to nearly 12 acres of forgotten gardens. Until World War II the site had been gardened continuously for at least 400 years. Now its unique beauty is being rediscovered.
website: https://www.visiteaston.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in London
Chelsea Physic Garden
location: 66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3
- The Chelsea Physic Garden was founded by the Society of Apothecaries in 1673 in order to promote the study of botany in relation to medicine, then known as the "physic" or healing arts. As the second oldest botanic garden in England it still fulfils the traditional functions of scientific research and plant conservation and undertakes to educate and inform as well as to provide the amenity of a walled "secret" garden in the heart of London.
website: https://www.chelseaphysicgarde....Top
Gardens to visit in Manchester
Bridgewater Garden (RHS)
location: Worsley, Salford, Greater Manchester, M28 2LJ
Glorious gardens set in historic landscapes.
website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens....Top
Gardens to visit in Middlesex
Church Gardens
location: Church Hill, Harefield, Middlesex,UB9 6DU
- Three acres of historic walled gardens that have been restored and transformed into inspiring, innovative and productive gardens.
Contact: 01895 823539
Email: churchgardensharefield [at] gmail [dot] com
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Gardens to visit in Norfolk
Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens
location: School Road, South Walsham, NR13 6DZ
Set in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden is a secret hideaway just waiting to be discovered.
Fairhaven is a unique garden rich in wildlife. The Garden is an eclectic mix of native and cultivated plantings with a network of dyke systems and a private broad.
Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate
location: Felbrigg, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 8PR
Outside, the decorative and productive walled garden is a gardener's delight and inspiration, providing beautiful flowers for the hall, with the allotments in the walled garden providing fruit and vegetables for the community. You can enjoy watching the hens pecking wherever they wish with only the sound of the busy bees in the flowers.nThe rolling landscape park with a lake, 211 hectares (520 acres) of woods and waymarked trails is a great place to explore nature and wildlife on this bountiful estate.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Hoveton Hall Gardens
location: Hoveton, Norwich, NR12 8RJ
A 15 acre garden on the edge of the Norfolk Broads, combining both formal and informal garden areas. The gardens are built around a Regency mansion. Among the garden areas is a walled garden, knot garden laburnum arch, kitchen garden, Clematis Walk, woodland walk, and a water garden.
website: https://www.hovetonhallestate.....Plantation Garden
location: City Centre, Norwich, NR2 3DB
- A restored Victorian town garden just 600 yards from the City centre. The Plantation Garden includes, a huge gothic fountain, flower beds, lawns, woodland walkways, rustic bridge Italianate terrace, 'Medieval' terrace wall; and hundreds of architectural details fashionable in the mid 19th century. This idiosyncratic garden, was established 140 years ago in a 3 acre abandoned chalk quarry and is a haven of peace and tranquillity, and a glimpse into a bygone age.
website: https://www.plantationgarden.c....Top
Gardens to visit in Northamptonshire
Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens
location: Kelmarsh, Northampton, NN6 9LY
- Within the 18th century setting, the gardens that visitors see at Kelmarsh Hall today are largely inspired by Nancy Lancaster. She extended her interior style of shabby chic charm into the gardens and drafted in the garden designer of her day, the talented Norah Lindsay, to help. Around the Hall the landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe laid out a formal terrace and horse chestnut avenues leading down to the lake.
website: https://kelmarsh.comTop
Gardens to visit in Northumberland
Wallington
location: Cambo, near Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 4AR
An informal landscape of lawns, lakes, woodland, parkland and farmland, just waiting to be explored.Plus a hidden walled garden, nestled in the woods.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Top
Gardens to visit in Oxfordshire
Harcourt Arboretum
location: Oxford Lodge, Peacock Gate, Oxford, OX44 9PX
Harcourt Arboretum has been part of the University of Oxford since 1963. The site comprises 130 acres containing the best collection of trees in Oxfordshire with some of the oldest redwoods in the UK. Seasonal highlights include wild flower meadows, rhododendrons and bluebell woods. It is open through the year.
website: https://www.botanic-garden.ox.....The University of Oxford Botanic Garden
location: Rose Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AZ
- Visit inspiring herbaceous borders, glasshouses that take you around the World or simply relax in the oldest Botanic Garden in Britain. The Botanic Garden is the most compact, yet diverse collection of plants in the World right in the heart of the city centre and is open throughout the year for you to visit and enjoy.
website: https://www.botanic-garden.ox.....Waterperry Gardens
location: Nr. Wheatley, Oxfordshire, OX33 1JZ
The 8 acre ornamental gardens include a rose and formal knot garden, water -lily canal, riverside walk, and one of the finest purely herbaceous borders in the country. Herbaceous nursery stock beds provide a living catalogue of plants, and there's also an alpine garden, and the National Collection of Kabschia Saxifrages.
website: http://www.waterperrygardens.c....Top
Gardens to visit in Somerset
Hestercombe Gardens
location: Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8LG
, Cheddon Fitzpaine - Lose yourself in fifty acres of lakes, temples, cascades, tranquil woodland walks, formal terraces, vivid colours and views that take your breath away.....
This is Hestercombe - a unique combination of three centuries of garden design: Coplestone Warre Bampfylde's Georgian landscape garden, the Victorian terrace and shrubbery and the stunning Edwardian garden design by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.
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Gardens to visit in Staffordshire
Biddulph Grange Garden
location: Grange Road, Biddulph, Staffordshire, ST8 7SD
Delightful high Victorian garden - an extraordinary survival from the 19th century. The garden features collections of rhododendrons, summer bedding displays, a stunning dahlia walk in late summer and the oldest surviving golden larch in Britain, brought from China in the 1850s.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Top
Gardens to visit in Surrey
RHS Garden, Wisley
location: Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB
- Surely, one of the great gardens of the world, RHS Garden Wisley is home to some of the largest plant collections anywhere in the globe. Planting varies from the herbaceous plants of the famous Mixed Borders to the lower -maintenance, prairie -style Planting in the Glasshouse Borders.
website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens....Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
location: Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB
-the eminence of Kew Today is thanks to a succession of avid collectors, visionary scientists, inspired landscape architects and redoubtable gardeners who, over the centuries, have grown and developed the gardens, and the collections they contain.
website: https://www.kew.org/Top
Gardens to visit in Sussex
Borde Hill, Haywards Heath, West Sussex
location: Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1XP
- Borde Hill is a garden of contrasts that captures the imagination and delights the senses. It is set in 200 acres of a traditional country estate in the area of outstanding natural beauty lying between the town of Haywards Heath and the village of Cuckfield in mid Sussex. The garden was established from 1900 with plants gathered by the great plant collectors who travelled to the Himalayas, China, Burma, Tasmania and the Andes. Today Borde Hill contains the best private collection of champion trees in Britain and one of the most comprehensive collections of trees and shrubs in the world.
website: https://www.bordehill.co.uk/The Walled Garden at Cowdray
location: Cowdray Park, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9AL
- This stunning, Tudor -style walled garden is open to the public all year round with the added attraction of a stylish shop and cafe.
The garden, shop and cafe are open Mon-Fri from 9am to 5pm and on weekends from 10.30am to 5pm, but it is occasionally closed for private functions so please call 01730 816881 before visiting.
Wakehurst Place
location: Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TN
- Kew's country garden in West Sussex - 180 acres of country estate including an Elizabethan mansion house, ornamental gardens and water features, and temperate woodlands housing national birch and southern beech collections. Special events include - Bluebell weekends, autumn tints and Winter Garden, themed tours, seasonal walks, Carol concert and Christmas festivities.
website: https://www.kew.org/wakehurstTop
Gardens to visit in Warwickshire
Packwood House
location: Packwood Lane, Lapworth, Warwickshire, B94 6AT
Much -restored Tudor house, park and garden with notable topiary.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....The National Herb Centre
location: Warmington, Near Banbury, Warwickshire, OX17 1DF
- Group guided tours and special events guided tours include: insight into how a commercial herb farm works, the research carried out in the laboratories including drying, freezing and distillation of herbs, visit to the glasshouse, view the display gardens and plant centre - tours can be arranged during the summer months (May to September) for daytime or evening.
website: https://www.herbcentre.co.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in West Sussex
Nymans
location: Handcross, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6EB
A garden lovers' home for all seasons, with an extensive yet intimate garden set around a romantic house and ruins.
In the late 1800s Ludwig Messel bought the Nymans Estate in the Sussex High Weald to make a dream family house. Inspired by the wooded surroundings he created a garden with plants collected from around the world. Here this creative family entertained friends and family, enjoyed relaxing, playing and picnicking in the garden and woods. Today it is still a garden lovers' home - a place to relax all year round and enjoy a peaceful country garden.
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Gardens to visit in Wirral
Ness Botanic Garden
location: Neston Road, Ness, Neston, CH64 4AY
- (University of Liverpool ) Ness Botanic Gardens was born of one man's passionate interest in plants and his desire to share that interest with others. When the Liverpool cotton merchant Arthur Kilpin Bulley began to create a garden in 1898, part of which he opened to local residents, he laid the foundations of one of the major botanic gardens in the United Kingdom. Bulley was interested in introducing new plant species from abroad. In particular, he believed that Himalayan and Chinese mountain plants could be established in Britain. In order to test this theory, he sponsored expeditions to the Far East and in doing so launched the careers of the renowned British plant collectors George Forrest and Frank Kingdon Ward.
website: http://www.nessgardens.org.uk/Top
Gardens to visit in Worcestershire
Croome Park
location: near High Green, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR8 9DW
- There's more than meets the eye at Croome. A secret wartime airbase, now a visitor centre, was once a hub of activity for thousands of people. Outside is the grandest of English landscapes, 'Capability' Brown's masterful first commission, with commanding views over the Malverns. The parkland was nearly lost, but is now great for walks and adventures with a surprise around every corner.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Top
Gardens to visit in Yorkshire
Castle Howard
location: Malton, YO60 7DA
- the grounds at castle Howard have always impressed visitors with their splendour and variety. visitors May enjoy extensive walks through woodlands, formal gardens, along terraces or beside water, and view the buildings and sculptures in the landscape.
website: https://www.castlehoward.co.uk/Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
location: Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY
- This Nation Trust property of 822 acres includes 18th century water gardens and ornamental lakes, 10 historical buildings with temples, statues, follies and cascades , Medieval wild deer park with more than 500 deer and the most complete Cistercian abbey remains in Britain.
website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.....Harewood House
location: Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
- Harewood is a great family day out. It includes An Adventure Playground for the children and the gardens and Bird gardens for all.
website: https://harewood.org/Harlow Carr (RHS)
location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1QB
Very much part of the Yorkshire countryside, Harlow Carr is a delight in every season.
website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens....Hunmanby Grange
location: Wold Newton, Driffield, YO25 3HS
- is not only home to Wold Top Brewery, Muddy Souls Events and the Mellor family, but it is renowned for its beautiful garden that opens annually under the National Garden Scheme (NGS).
website: https://www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk/Kew at Castle Howard
location: Castle Howard, York, YO60 7BY
- An arboretum comprising some 6,500 different taxa (identifiably different types of plant) planted from 1968, when the valuable historic collection formed at the Sunningdale Nursery in Surrey was transported to Ray Wood. This 40-acre area of woodland had been clear-felled and reforested with hardwoods in 1948, but was first surveyed in 1563 and much of the extant ground flora is characteristic of secondary ancient woodland.
website: https://www.yorkshirearboretum....Newby Hall,
location: Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AJ
- Influenced by Lawrence Johnston\'s Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire, Major Compton decided to create a main axis for the garden running from the south front of the house right down to the River Ure. The axis consisted of double herbaceous borders flanked by double yew hedges with a broad grass walk running down the middle. Off it he planned compartmented gardens of formal design like rooms off the main passage of a house - each filled with plants to be at their best for different seasons - truly a 'Garden for all Seasons'. The gardens he created over 50 years cover 40 acres and make a great contribution to 20th century gardening design.
website: http://newbyhallandgardens.com/Scampston Hall
location: Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 8NG
- Contemporary four and a half acre Walled Garden opens for the first time in 2004. It is fully planted but still 'in the making' so some imagination is necessary to envisage the final form that will emerge as the seasons go by. There is a long border walk, under an avenue of 200 lime trees, around the perimeter wall with mainly spring flowering shrubs and under planting. These include Paeonia rockii with their large fragrant flowers; Edgeworthia chrysantha a lovely relative of the genus Daphne; Tetrapanax papyrifer with its huge palmate tropical foliage and Comptonia peregrina from North America with its heavenly scented foliage.
website: https://www.scampston.co.uk/Stillingfleet Lodge Nurseries and Garden
location: Stillingfleet, York, YO19 6HP
- is a delightful late 18th Century farmhouse surrounded by a series of contrasting gardens with a specialist plant nursery. A RHS partner garden.
Check the website for visitor information (opening times etc.).
Woodlands Cottage Garden
location: Nidderdale, North Yorkshire
- The garden has several contrasting areas designed to fit in with the character of the stone cottage and surrounding countryside. To one side is a woodland rock -garden with shrubs, perennials and ferns.
Open to visitors on specific Open Days for Charity.
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