English Gardens
 

We will be visiting England next Spring, arriving at Heathrow, to visit some gardens.
We would prefer not to rent a car and are very flexible as to where to go.
We would like to see three or four gardens (we'll be in England one week).
If we could stay in one location and see various gardens, that would be ideal.
We aren't serious gardener, just love to enjoy the beauty.
Any suggestions.
dtaylorburke

Without a car makes it a bit difficult. Based in London you could visit Hampton Court and Kew Gardens using public transport:

http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPa...rtgardens.aspx

http://www.kew.org/

You could stay in London for a few days to experience the city a bit. Do the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Chelsea Physic Gardens and Kensignton.

Then rent a car and base yourself in Kent where two of the most celebrated gardens are...Sissinghurst and Wisley gardens. I also really loved the gardens at Hever Castle (the childhood home of Anne Boleyn) a small castle but very memorable for me.

Here is an article on gardens in and around London as well:
http://www.londontown.com/attraction...est&categories[]=The%20Best&categories[]=Parks%20and%20Gardens

oops, I missed the not renting a car bit.

The public transport in the UK is very good. So Im sure you could make your way to the gardens by train and bus. But it would probably be a real time killer.
Maybe you could find a tour operator that specializes in garden tours -- Im sure they exist. Google it!

If you don't want to rent a car, it's easy to get to Kew by underground and Wisley (train to Woking or West Byfleet then taxi).

Sissinghurst is beautiful, unusual and started as a private garden by the Sackville-Wests. Check the website for access by public transport options.

Correction, Vita Sackville-West and husband Harold Nicholson.

There lots of fabulous gardens in Cornwall in the spring, some [but not all] accessible without a car.

off the top of my head, so to speak, the lost gardens of Heligan, the Eden Project and Trebah can all be reached by train/bus combinations, and there are lovely gardens in the towns of Falmouth and Penzance, both of which can be reached by train from Truro, which is on the main line from Paddington [as is Penzance as well]. From Falmouth you can get a boat over to St. Mawes on the Roseland which is simply a lovely place [with a terrific hotel restaurant] and/or a boat up the Fal to Trelissick, whch is a National Trust garden.

Strange as it may seem, it could be easier to see gardens here without a car than it would be in London and the spring is absolutely the best time for coming to Cornwall to see them.

you could certainly find enough to do with garden visits and general walking to keep you busy for at least a week.

if you'd like to know more,eg about which town you could base yourselves in, just let me know. or look at www.visitcornwall.co.uk

PS - i am NOT employed by the Cornwall Tourist Board, honest!

Wow! Thank you all so much for the information. We now have a starting point.
Once we get more focused, I am sure I will have lots more questions.

dtaylorburke

One more quick question: Which is the best month to visit: April, May?
Dtaylorburke

The flowering season is somewhat similar to the northeast united states.

April would be bulbs (tulips/daffodils) and flowering trees like cherries.
May is rhodies and azalias, and lilacs. I think Chelsea has their flower show this month.
June the gardens are more filled out with shrubs, peonies, iris, foxglove,

One more quick question: Which is the best month to visit: April, May?>>

that may be a quick question, there's isn't a quick answer. so much depends on where you are going, and the weather that year. For example, here in Cornwall [the far southwest of Britain where we benefit from the gulf stream and a maritime climate] the magnolias are usually out in February, the camillias in March, the rhododendrons in April. Daffs start in Jan/Feb and are over by March, followed by the tulips in March-May, and the bluebells in April [very early this year]

The rest of the country is usually behind us by a week to even a month, depending on how much further north they are. This year despite the cold winter, many of the flowers were earlier than normal...not sure why!

Therefore optimum time for visiting Cornwall to see the gardens would be April [when we have the Cornwall garden Society show at the beginning of the month] but March and May are also good. for the rest of the country - April, May, June. Chelsea Flower show is at the end of May - if you think you might be interested in going look at their website for details of next year's dates and how to get tickets, but there are other shows that you might like, for example the Malvern Show which is held in April.

hope this helps!

Thanks again. I guess we will need to decide what types of flowers/trees we want to focus on.
I'm assuming that the weather for the Southern part of England is better in May, correct?

'm assuming that the weather for the Southern part of England is better in May, correct?>>

better than what?

it ought in theory to be better than the weather in April, and better than the weather elsewhere in the UK, but May can also bring rain and showers. peak season for spring flowers in cornwall is definitely April.

if you want roses in May, go to Florence!