Horticultural heaven
A visit to a garden can make a great day out in any season. Carrie Drage gets the dirt on some of the best group-friendly gardens in the UK.
Gardening as an art form has been around since Roman times and has grown in popularity ever since. In the UK alone, there are hundreds of gardens to visit showcasing different styles of gardening, from walled gardens and wildflower meadows to internationally-inspired Japanese and Italianate gardens.
The north
Beginning in Northumberland, The Alnwick Garden has been open to visitors since 2002. The main area is the Walled Garden, which is a series of themed gardens set around a huge water feature called the Grand Cascade. Themed gardens include the Rose Garden, filled with more than 3,000 rose bushes, the Poison Garden containing some of the world’s deadliest plants and the Bamboo Labyrinth, which is a walk-through maze. Groups of 14 or more receive discounted admission.
At the nearby Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens, the 30-acre Gardens offer visitors a variety of rare and exotic plants, trees and shrubs within its various themed gardens, including a romantic quarry, rhododendron, winter and meadow gardens. Groups of 11 or more receive a 15% discount.
Featuring plants from around the world, the Botanic Garden at the University of Durham offers glasshouses containing a broad range of tropical rainforest plants, desert flora and plant species from the mediterranean.
Whatever the season, the RHS Garden Harlow Carr, in north Yorkshire, is always packed with ideas for your garden. Features include the contemporary mixed planting rose borders, scented and kitchen gardens and the ‘Gardens Through Time’ area, which contains seven period gardens, ranging from Regency designs through to a 21st century garden. Reduced rates are available for groups of 10 or more.
Created by the acclaimed Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, the Walled Garden at Scampston is set within the 18th century walls of the original kitchen garden at Scampston Hall. It features a reflective pond surrounded by columns of yew and a perimeter walk lined with lime trees and spring flowering plants. When the Garden re-opens for the season in March, visitors will also be able to enjoy a new woodland trail around the outside of Scampston Hall. Groups of 20 or more receive reduced admission and a free talk from one of the gardeners.
Also located in North Yorkshire is Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, a World Heritage Site with monuments dating back nine centuries. In addition to visiting the ruins of a 12th century Cistercian abbey and a Victorian gothic church, groups can also enjoy the 18th century water garden with its ornamental lakes, temples and follies. Groups of 15 or more receive discounts.
Meanwhile, in South Yorkshire, extensive redevelopment work has restored the gardens at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens to their original 1890s design. The centrepiece of the Gardens is an Italian marble dolphin fountain, which is surrounded by mown lawns and colourful borders filled with spring bulbs, summer roses and winter evergreens. A 15% discount is offered for groups of 11 or more.
In neighbouring Cheshire, groups have a choice of 23 gardens to visit, which are being celebrated in a year-long festival known as Cheshire’s ‘Year of Gardens’. The county is best known as the home of Tatton Park with its renowned Japanese Garden; however groups can also visit Ness Botanic Gardens, which features a fine collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, Jodrell Bank Arboretum with over 2,000 species of trees, Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, where the Silver Garden has been planted with silver-leafed plants in honour of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee or Arley Hall & Gardens, which features a double herbaceous border, claimed to be the oldest in England.
Also in the county, groups can visit Chester Zoo where plants form an essential part of the landscape. They have been used not only to create themed gardens but to imitate the native habitats of the animals. Visitors can enjoy a Roman Garden, Andes Garden and Glorious Grasses. Groups of 15 or more are eligible for discounts.
Another garden of particular interest is the ‘secret garden’ at Quarry Bank Mill, in Wilmslow, which is opening to visitors for the first time in March. The Garden is currently being restored to its 19th century splendour with the aid of old photographs and plant records from nearby nurseries. Discounts will be offered to 15 or more.
Cheshire is also home to one of the UK’s largest garden centres, Stapeley Water Gardens, which offers a selection of packages for groups. A popular choice is the Meal Deal, which combines lunch with a visit to the Palms Tropical Oasis, a display area featuring palms, orchids and the world’s largest variety of waterlily.
The Midlands
Normanby Hall Country Park, in Lincolnshire, offers colour-themed herbaceous borders in the Secret Garden and heritage varieties of wall-trained fruit in the Victorian kitchen garden. Currently under development is the new Victorian Woodland Garden, which is hoped to be open by spring and will accommodate mature trees, shrubs and perennials. Groups of 15 or more pay a discounted price.
Completed in 2004, Springfields Festival Gardens, in Spalding, features themed gardens by popular television gardeners such as Charlie Dimmock and Kim Wilde. Entry to the Gardens is free.
A former boyhood home of John Wesley, Epworth Old Rectory has a Georgian-style walled garden based on the medicinal plants in his ‘Primitive Physic’ book. Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, devised a number of cures using everyday plants and herbs and many of the species mentioned in the book can be found in the Garden.
In Nottinghamshire, Clumber Park comprises of more than 3,000 acres of woodland, open heath and farmland. Although the house here was demolished in the 1930s, groups will find plenty to interest them in the Park’s gothic revival church and the Walled Kitchen Garden, complete with glasshouses growing heritage varieties of vegetables. Discounts are offered for groups of 15 or more.
Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, groups can visit Biddulph Grange Garden, which was designed in the mid 19th century by horticulturalist James Bateman to display specimens from his extensive plant collection. The Garden is separated into a variety of themed compartments including a Chinese garden, Egyptian Court and Italian garden. Groups of 15 or more receive discounted entry.
Barnsdale Gardens is set in the Rutland countryside and was made famous by the late Geoff Hamilton in the BBC television series ‘Gardeners’ World’. It comprises of 37 smaller gardens spanning various gardening styles, many which will be recognisable from the Gardeners’ World programmes. Popular gardens include the Cottage Gardens, Paradise Gardens and Ornamental Kitchen Garden, as well as the newer Japanese and Mediterranean Gardens. Reduced admission is offered for groups of 10 or more.
At nearby Rockingham Castle, in Leicestershire, groups can take a guided tour of the Gardens which, from March this year, will take in the newly extended Rose Garden. The new area will be made up of herbaceous plants and shrubs and will be divided into a series of ‘rooms’ through the imaginative planting of yew hedges, archways and pillars. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted admission.
London, the east and the south east
Situated on the outskirts of London, Capel Manor Gardens offers 30 acres of themed gardens to explore. These include an Italianate Maze, a Japanese Garden and Growing Together in Faith, which opened in September and emphasises how plants and flowers are used as symbols in different faiths. Another new addition, Le Jardin de Vincent, will open in early spring and was inspired by the paintings of Van Gogh. Group rates are available for 20 or more.
In Oxfordshire, Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens offers a ‘Gardeners’ Day Out’ package for groups, which includes a talk from one of the gardeners, cream tea and entry to the Park and Gardens. The Gardens has five distinct areas to visit; the Flower Meadows, West Terrace, South Terrace, Tropical House and the Walled Garden, which features a newly introduced water garden.
Extending over 300 acres, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew features an extensive arboretum, formal gardens and some of the world’s largest Victorian glasshouses including the iconic Palm House. Two new features are currently being developed, which are due to open in May next year. The Rhizotron will be an underground display area on tree root biology and the Xsatrata Treetop Walkway will take visitors into the tree canopy for a view over the Gardens. Group discounts are available for 10 or more people.
In Berkshire, groups can explore more royal landscapes at The Savill Garden, The Valley Gardens and the New Zealand Garden, which can all be found within Windsor Great Park.
Combining trees and shrubbery, ponds and streams, meadows and formal beds, The Savill Garden is a fine example of a woodland garden.
The Valley Gardens, meanwhile, are best enjoyed in springtime when visitors can take in the famous azalea displays or autumn when the beeches, oaks and maple trees are ablaze with rich red and golden colours.
Also forming part of the Windsor Great Park is the newly planted New Zealand Garden, which was extended and re-opened last year and contains the largest collection of New Zealand plants outside the native country. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.
Hampton Court Palace, in Surrey, is renowned for its 60 acres of formal gardens, which includes the 230-year old Great Vine, believed to have been planted by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1760s. Last summer, the Palace opened its newly-restored Lower Orangery Garden, featuring exotic plants that were first introduced to the Garden 300 years ago. The Lower Orangery Garden will re-open for the season in June and groups of 15 or more received discounted admission.
The Queen’s Norfolk retreat, Sandringham House, is also worth a visit for its 60 acres of informal gardens. Whatever the season, there is always something to see, with its displays of spring-flowering bulbs, avenues of rhododendrons and azaleas and beds of lavendar and roses. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.
Dating from the Tudor period, the Gardens at Hertfordshire’s Knebworth House are made up of a series of 18 interconnecting ‘rooms’. Highlights of the Gardens include the Rose Garden with its rose bushes and lily ponds and the Wilderness, which is formed with ornamental trees such as redwoods and rhododendrons. Groups of 20 or more are eligible for discounts.
Across the border in Cambridgeshire, Audley End House & Gardens offers an 18th century ‘Capability’ Brown-designed parkland. Groups can also see an organically gardened Walled Victorian Kitchen Garden, which has been authentically restored to resemble how it might have looked in its heyday. A 15% discount is offered to groups of 11 or more.
Situated in Essex, the RHS Garden Hyde Hall combines a variety of gardening styles to create a garden with year-round interest. Features include the innovative Australian and New Zealand Garden, the richly scented Rose Garden and the themed Vegetable Plots. Groups of 10 or more receive discounted admission.
It comes as no surprise that Kent has an abundance of gardens to visit since it is, after all, the ‘Garden of England’.
One of the oldest gardens in the county is the 11-acre Walled Garden at Penshurst Place, which has records dating back to 1346. Divided into a series of ‘rooms’ by a mile of yew hedging, it features an Italian Garden, Union Flag Garden and Rose Garden. The best time to visit is in June when the famous 100-metre long Peony Border is in full bloom. Groups of 20 or more get a discounted rate.
Near Sevenoaks, the garden at Chartwell once belonged to Sir Winston Churchill and features Lady Churchill’s Rose Garden and the Golden Rose Avenue, which runs through the centre of the Garden. Discounts are offered for groups of 15 or more.
At nearby Down House, groups can see where Charles Darwin worked on his revolutionary theories. Groups of 11 or more receive a 15% discount on entry to the property where you can visit the restored kitchen garden and greenhouses containing orchids and carnivorous plants. A new addition to the grounds is the observation beehive, which shows how honeybees build honeycomb.
Offering discounts for groups of 20 or more people, Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens, in West Sussex, has some of the UK’s largest collections of rhododendrons and azaleas. Groups will also enjoy a stroll round the Gardens’ seven lakes, which are home to a variety of waterfowl.
A short distance away, is Sheffield Park Garden, in East Sussex, which was originally designed in the 16th century by ‘Capability’ Brown. The Garden has splendid displays of bluebells and daffodils in the spring and blooms of rhododendrons and azaleas in early summer. Discounts are offered to groups of 15 or more.
From the carpets of snowdrops, crocuses and cyclamen in the spring to the revamped Rose Borders in the summer, the RHS Garden Wisley, in Surrey, has something to offer all groups. Visitors to the Garden might also like to take a walk through the newly opened Glasshouse, featuring tropical plantings from across the globe. Groups of 10 or more get discounted admission.
Various group packages are available at Exbury Gardens, in Hampshire, which is famous for its colourful displays of camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. In March, the Garden will be opening a new boardwalk area, which will incorporate many new plantings including an ancient Ginkgo Biloba and an Australian Wollemi Pine, once thought to be extinct.
Across the water from Hampshire, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight has extensive grounds that include an arboretum, wildflower meadows and parterre gardens. The formal walled kitchen garden is best known for its historic glasshouses, which feature traditional varieties of fruits, flowers and vegetables. Groups of 11 or more receive a 15% discount.
Meanwhile, in Bedfordshire, Wrest Park, offers 90 acres of formal grounds inspired by the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, in France. The Park is famed for its domed Baroque pavilion, designed by the British architect Thomas Archer in 1710, which is surrounded by wooded walks and canals. A 15% discount is offered to groups of 11 or more.
The south and south west
In Gloucestershire, Sudeley Castle Gardens features extensive topiary and the famous Queens Garden, filled with ancient and modern varieties of English Roses. Group rates are available for 20 or more people.
Also in the county is Westonbirt – The National Arboretum. Spanning more than 600 acres, the Arboretum features in excess of 3,000 different tree varieties, including some of the largest, oldest and tallest recorded specimens in the country. Discounted admission is available for groups of 16 or more.
Journeying south into Wiltshire, Stourhead is a garden that has its origins in the 18th century and combines exotic trees with classical temples and follies. To enjoy the Garden in its entirety, groups should climb the hill to the Temple of Apollo where they will get views of the Tulip Tree on the island in the lake and the Pantheon monument. Reduced rates are offered to groups of 15 or more.
Situated a short distance from the Dorset coast, Compton Acres consists of five themed gardens; the Italian Garden, the Wooded Valley, the Rock and Water Garden, the Heather Garden and the Japanese Garden. Discounted entry is offered for 15 or more people.
Elsewhere in the county, groups can visit Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens. It started life as a Kitchen Garden in 1765 to house the owner’s expanding collection of exotic plants, brought back from plant hunting expeditions; however, the Garden soon developed into a 20-acre woodland valley garden. In order that visitors can enjoy the Gardens’ superb coastal views, some of the woodland has been cleared to create a new grass walk, which will be lined with magnolias. Reduced rates are available for 10 or more.
Further west, in Devon, groups will find the RHS Garden Rosemoor, which is set in 65 acres of the Torridge Valley. There is plenty to see in the Garden, from the Rose Garden with its 200 varieties to the Potager Garden containing a range of herbs and ornamental vegetables. Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more.
Also in this part of the country is Paignton Zoo, which is renowned as much for its botanical gardens as its animals. Plants have been selected to recreate the natural habitats of the creatures in the Zoo and range from native species to more exotic varieties. Groups of 15 or more are eligible for discounts.
Heading to Cornwall, groups can visit Trebah Garden, a woodland ravine garden, which is home to sub-tropical plants from across the globe. Worth a look are the 100 year old tree ferns, the two-acre planting of blue hydrangeas and 10 champion trees, which are the biggest of their type in the UK. Entry is discounted for 12 or more.
Another popular Cornish garden is the Lost Gardens of Heligan, so named after it was left in a state of neglect after World War I. Since being rediscovered in 1991, the Gardens has undergone a redevelopment project to recreate its 19th century design. Features include a vegetable garden and a wild area known as ‘The Jungle’, containing sub-tropical tree ferns. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.
Perhaps one of the most publicised gardens in the county is the Eden Project, which incorporates two world-famous biomes, the Rainforest Biome and the Mediterranean Biome. A highlight of the gardening season is ‘bulb mania’, when more than two million spring-flowering bulbs are in bloom across the site. Groups of 10 or more qualify for discounts.
Situated on the Isles of Scilly, a short journey from the Cornish mainland, Tresco Abbey Gardens benefits from its own micro-climate, allowing many sub-tropical plants to flourish here that are unable to grow on the mainland. Groups will be able to see unusual sights such as bananas growing outside in the ruins of the 12th century Abbey. Groups of 12 or more receive discounted entry.
Wales and Scotland
Boasting views over the Snowdonia mountains, Bodnant Garden, in North Wales, is laid out in two parts; the upper area comprises the Terraced Gardens and the lower level, called ‘The Dell’, features the Pinetum and Wild Garden. The Garden is popular for its collections of brightly coloured camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias. Discounts are offered for 15 or more people.
A short distance away, groups will find Powis Castle and Garden, which has features dating back to the 1680s including original lead statues, an orangery and a woodland wilderness. Entry is discounted for 15 or more.
Meanwhile, in South Wales, Aberglasney House and Gardens is divided into six different spaces, including three walled gardens. Some of the Garden’s best features include the Yew Tunnel and the Cloister Garden, with its parapet walk. Groups of 10 or more qualify for discounts.
At the nearby National Botanic Garden of Wales, you can see one of Europe’s longest herbaceous borders and themed gardens such as a Japanese Garden, Mediterranean Garden and a Bog Garden. Group rates are offered to 10 or more.
Finally, in Scotland, a popular garden attraction is the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, home to the largest collection of wild-origin Chinese plants outside China. Sights of interest include the world-famous glasshouses, the Rock Garden and the Scottish Heath Garden. Entry is free but there is a charge for the glasshouses.