Visiting gardens is such a joy, it’s usually inspiring, a good day out, there may be little plants to buy, & there is always cake.
Every year I have a list in my head of gardens to visit when they’re at their best. This is mostly in the spring through to late summer, which makes for a busy 7 months….. or it would if I visited them all. But since life is short & full of good intentions, I’m determined to see more than usual this year.
Hauser & Wirth, Somerset:
We visited in August last year, & was delighted with it. The planting is by Piet Oudolph so expectations were high, & I was still delighted by it. This year it would be nice to go a little earlier in the year. Though his trade-mark grasses & are probably at their best in late summer.
Echinacea pallida at Hause & Wirth
More about Hauser & Wirth here.
Chartwell, Kent:
A National Trust garden & famous for being the home of Winston Churchill, it also has a fine vegetable garden.
part of the walled vegetable garden at Chartwell
Chartwell vegetable garden is a lovely mix of flowers & vegetables
Arundel Castle:
The Collector Earls’ Garden was designed by Isabel & Julian Bannerman. It’s a flamboyent garden with a strong structure & expertly divided by hedges.
More about visiting Arundel Castle & gardens here.
National Gardens Scheme:
Another great source of garden visits. The variety of gardens is huge, from small urban ones to larger country gardens, & lots that aren’t open regularly.
I met Tony Russell at The Garden Press Event last week & got a timely copy of his book:
Great Gardens to Visit 2017
Helpfully listed under Counties, with all the information you’ll need, it’s going to be very useful.
The book is available here
Find out about The National Garden Scheme here
As well as the gardens above, my list for 2017 includes:
Rousham in Oxfordshire [I’m a little embarrased that I’ve never been here, because it has a great reputation as one of the best gardens in the country]
Ham House near Richmond
I follow it on Instagram & it looks wonderful.
Ford Abbey in Somerset
another one I follow on Instagram & also looks gorgeous.
I’ll write here on the blog about the gardens I visit this year, & I’d love to hear about your favourite gardens to visit.
Meanwhile, I’m taking a couple of weeks off, see you next month.
Jill
all photos: Jill Anderson
Hi: Warmer here than usual, Chardon, Ohio, so have started cleaning up outside. GH is full of starts and now have a real cold frame to do hardening so I read your comments. PS have followed your blog for years and enjoyed its range.
Hello Cynthia, lovely to hear from you. A cold-frame is a great help, makes hardening off much easier!
Thank you for your kind comments! Jill
Living in Cornwall, I have a very SW bias! But my favourites are Lamorran at St Mawes, Tresco on the Isles of Scilly and Heligan. This year I’m determined to get to Temenheere sculpture garden near Penzance.
Hello Tanya, there are some great gardens in Cornwall. The sculpture garden sounds good, new to me & I’d love to visit Tresco.