Perfect English Garden?
 

Having just seen the newish Pride and Prejudice, I have England on my mind. What, for those who have been, is the perfect English garden? If I were to only have time for one, which should I choose?Sissinghurst? Hidcote? I don't want grand, but treacley romantic, with gads of color and a stone cottage in the background. At the same time extensive enough that there'd be something to explore. Or just forget my criteria, and tell me your favorite!

Stourhead is very atmospheric, with lots of follies, temples, etc. Maybe not treacly, though. More dramatic, and not all that much color.

<b>Great Dixter</b>
http://tinyurl.com/7oe4q

The home and gardens of the amazing Christopher Lloyd.
When the day comes, I want my husband to take my ashes in his pocket to Great Dixter and sprinkle them here and there (shhh, don't tell anyone)...I want to grow in that garden, or sleep :)

There are so many - but probably it would be Hidecote Manor or Great Dixter for me.

But actually Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and Scotney Castle are less than 10 miles apart so one could easily do them as a trifecta in one day. 2-3 hours at Sissinghurst, 2-3 hours at Great Dixter and and hour+ at Scotney Cattle would not be rushed at all.

Stourhead isn't really what you are looking for - a vast landscape garden, not an &quot;English flower garden&quot;

I was at Hidcote the day after a heavy wind so many of the flowers were gone, but I still took some pictures I'm pleased with. I can't say I saw what I think of as the perfect English garden, but I enjoy wandering around. Here are some photos from my website. Continue to the next page for photos from Hidcote.
http://www.travelswithdiane.homestea...otswolds4.html

I'm rather fond of Haddon Hall
It has a website at http://www.haddonhall.co.uk/

They say
&quot;Haddon Hall has been a popular location for feature films (e.g. Pride and Prejudice (2005), Elizabeth, (1999), Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre (1996)); TV (The BBC's production of The Prince and the Pauper; Granada Television's Moll Flanders); and a number of photo shoots for advertising and editorial work.&quot;

Haddon Hall is also not far from Chatsworth.

Elizabeth Bennet did very well for herself!

Yes, those Bennet girls were blessed! I was almost more taken with the Bennet &quot;cottage&quot; than any of the other MUCH grander houses in the film. That's the Romantic in me, I guess.

A perfect English garden is a contradiction in terms.

The concept of perfection is deeply unEnglish: real life is is far too complex and ever-changing for anything to be &quot;best&quot; or &quot;favourite&quot;, and gardens are far more complicated than real life.

In any case, only a tiny minority of our gardens are on display to visitors most of the time, and most of the best bits are behind the house where casual visitors can't easily see them.

Gardens are one of the few things to visit where less isn't more. Seeing one or two widely-publicised, meticulously maintained, megagardens gives you a wholly illusory - and very limited -view of what's possible in our climate.

Anyone at all interested in gardens who's visiting England will no doubt want to see the Hidcotes and Sissinghursts. But they should also check the NGS website for other gardens near where they're visiting to see who's opening their gardens for a couple of days, and check the local weekly paper for those that aren't in the NGS.

Don't underestimate the importance of these hidden treasures. Blenheim and Rousham are both within 10 mins of my Cotswold hideaway: I can think of at least three other substantial gardens even closer that I find more interesting, but are on public display for only five days or so.

And the past decade's economic boom, the explosion in gardening makeover shows and the growth in the over-45 population have increased the amount of gardening spectacularly. Posh people's places make up an even tinier proportion of our gardens now than ten years ago.

One of my favourite cottage gardens is a lesser known one at Wollerton Old Hall. Visit at then end of June for the perfect effect.

http://www.wollertonoldhallgarden.co.uk/

My own personal love is for rhododendrons and azaleas and my favourite garden of all, must be Bodnant in North Wales. The 240 acres of RHS gardens at Wisley also have something for everyone and interest at any time of year.

Hello Guy
I really enjoyed the film too.
As for gardens, you might be interested in one of England's newest ones - Alnwick Garden in Northumberland. This is a labour of love by the Duchess of Northumberland - the website www.alnwickgarden.com has lots of info and pictures. The treehouse is amazing!
M

Yikes--My favorite travel topic! Over the years I have visited as many gardens in England, Scotland, and Wales as I could and that includes many of the ones mentioned by the other posters here. Many are National Trust properties. I would agree that Bodnant Gardens near Conwy, Wales is the front runner! My favorite garden in Scotland (so far!) is the Dirleton Castle Garden, a smaller border garden exquisitely done, at least in May.

For a large garden it is hard to beat Hampton Court Garden for the colorful annuals in July.

Stourhead is my favorite &quot;landscape&quot; garden which is very colorful in late May when the rhododendrons are in bloom. There were several scenes, including the bridge, in the new Pride and Prejudice that were filmed at Stourhead. I recognised the scenes immediately as I have visited that garden at least 4 times and stayed overnight at the Spread Eagle Inn on the grounds of Stourhead.

Keep going with other favorites, I need suggestions of gardens that are especially pretty in September.

Margo

I wish Gertrude Jekyll were here to answer this question!!!

Got to thinking--Am I right that some of the scenes from Pride and Prejudice were shot at Stourhead? They looked so familiar, especially the bridge. I did check the Haddon Hall website and see that they also have a bridge in their garden that is similar to that at Stourhead. What is the answer?

Sissinghurst, Sissinghurst, Sissinghurst.
Or, alternatively, check this website and ask for a map: www.britainsfinest.co.uk It gives 300 special British gardens to visit.

Thanks, everyone. The Britainsfinest website is terrific. Question (sorry, am also posting on my Cumbria thread): will the gardens of Cumbria and Yorkshire be at their best in the 1st week of June?

How about a perfect Scottish garden?? I love Cawdor Castle's garden and house.

This is great --new places to explore! Some great suggestions here.

I loved Sissinghurst when I finally got to visit it. If I recall correctly, you may be able to stay on the grounds there too. National Trust property, maybe?

It's not at all cottagey, but if you will be in England in Spring, and love azaleas, the Savill Gardens in Windsor (part of the Great Park) are worth a visit. http://www.gardens-guide.com/gardenpages/_0035.htm

I do remember a building at the edge of the Sissinghurst property where one could stay. Not sure, but may have been a b&amp;b. Unfortunately I didn't know about it in advance. When you look at the window from Vita's tower room you can see the multiple interesting chimney caps. Love that architecture!

I agree about Savill Gardens--absolutely gorgeous when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom, and a lovely, cool place to wander.