Which English gardens to visit ?
Mar 29th, 2004, 01:55 AM
#24
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Hi
The National Trust website is very good and may well help you plan a visit (many of the above suggestions are NT properties). I believe you can become a member if you live in America and this will save you a lot of moeny if you plan to visit several.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
M
The National Trust website is very good and may well help you plan a visit (many of the above suggestions are NT properties). I believe you can become a member if you live in America and this will save you a lot of moeny if you plan to visit several.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
M
Mar 29th, 2004, 02:25 AM
#25
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You don't have to wait to get to the UK to join the National Trust. The American branch is called the Royal Oak and is a great bargain if you are planning on visiting a few places.
http://www.royal-oak.org
Your subscription will get you the guide books, NT rentals and the magazine.
http://www.royal-oak.org
Your subscription will get you the guide books, NT rentals and the magazine.
Mar 29th, 2004, 11:15 AM
#28
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I enjoyed Kew Gardens. The greenhouses (or as they call it glasshouses) had amazing specimens of rare plants.
At the entry, the docent said "Make sure you see the Venus Fly Traps in the Princess of Wales glasshouse" Great, went to England and all they rave about are native NC plants. However, some of the plants there are probably the only specimen in the world. And the Queen Victoria glasshouse (I think that's the name, the original one) has a balcony so you can view the trees from the branches.
Wish I had made to Hampton Court to play around in the hedge maze.
At the entry, the docent said "Make sure you see the Venus Fly Traps in the Princess of Wales glasshouse" Great, went to England and all they rave about are native NC plants. However, some of the plants there are probably the only specimen in the world. And the Queen Victoria glasshouse (I think that's the name, the original one) has a balcony so you can view the trees from the branches.
Wish I had made to Hampton Court to play around in the hedge maze.
Mar 29th, 2004, 11:31 AM
#29
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No-one's mentioned Rousham - the perfect antidote to Blenheim, and only about 10 minutes' drive away.
But Big Garden is a very small part of what our gardens are about. The best English gardens, by far, are the 15 million or so we tend ourselves, and the extraordinary amount of public garden we plant on our village greens, in urban window boxes and on road verges.
The www.ngs.org.uk site PatrickW mentioned at the top is actually the National Gardens Scheme - an opportunity to see thousands of private gardens: some simply stellar, others just extraordinarily lovely.
Personally, I'd far rather visit these than any number of big houses or contrived tourist traps like Mme Tussauds.
But Big Garden is a very small part of what our gardens are about. The best English gardens, by far, are the 15 million or so we tend ourselves, and the extraordinary amount of public garden we plant on our village greens, in urban window boxes and on road verges.
The www.ngs.org.uk site PatrickW mentioned at the top is actually the National Gardens Scheme - an opportunity to see thousands of private gardens: some simply stellar, others just extraordinarily lovely.
Personally, I'd far rather visit these than any number of big houses or contrived tourist traps like Mme Tussauds.
Mar 29th, 2004, 12:43 PM
#30
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I'm surprised no one has suggested Saville Garden, near Windsor--beautiful azaleas and rhodendrons and flowering trees, among other pleasures. Add me to the supporters of a visit to Stourhead; it's sheer 18th-century splendor, with follies and grottos, sweeping lawns, walks, and vistas.
Finally, near pool in Dorset is the interesting and beautiful Compton Acres. It's laid out in 7 different garden styles, including Roman, Japanese, and heather.
Finally, near pool in Dorset is the interesting and beautiful Compton Acres. It's laid out in 7 different garden styles, including Roman, Japanese, and heather.
Mar 31st, 2004, 08:58 AM
#31
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Trevarno Estate Gardens (beautiful Victorian & Georgian gardens as well as the National Museum of Gardening)near Helston in Cornwall is well worth a visit and don't forget the breathtaking Eden Project near St Austell. For B&B have a look at www.bestbandb.co.uk for 1000 establishments that have been personally inspected before inclusion on the website. The info is also in book form titled The Best Bed & Breakfast (ISBN 0-907500-83-8).
Jun 9th, 2004, 04:13 AM
#32
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A useful website is http://greatbritishgardens.co.uk which lists all the major gardens in the UK with recommended B and B s.
I visited Kent and Sussex recently and enjoyed Sissinghurst (ofcourse!), Great Dixter Garden, Marle Place and Iden Croft Herbs - recommended by the guys at Church Gates Bed and Breakfast in Cranbrook, Kent - and a super place to stay. Joe and David at Church Gates are also now offering guided garden tours for small groups which is ideal for those who don't want to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road or who want to relax and enjoy the local country lanes.
I visited Kent and Sussex recently and enjoyed Sissinghurst (ofcourse!), Great Dixter Garden, Marle Place and Iden Croft Herbs - recommended by the guys at Church Gates Bed and Breakfast in Cranbrook, Kent - and a super place to stay. Joe and David at Church Gates are also now offering guided garden tours for small groups which is ideal for those who don't want to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road or who want to relax and enjoy the local country lanes.
Mar 17th, 2005, 08:23 AM
#33
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Bringing up an old thread, I know.
We will be in London in late April (without a car)-- what gardens are best this time of year? I have always wanted to see Sissinghurst, but will it be worth it in April? Also, are there any gardens with interesting pond gardens in the area?
Thanks!
We will be in London in late April (without a car)-- what gardens are best this time of year? I have always wanted to see Sissinghurst, but will it be worth it in April? Also, are there any gardens with interesting pond gardens in the area?
Thanks!
Mar 17th, 2005, 08:53 AM
#34
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Gardens will be blooming in late April but you should probably go to the website for specific gardens to find out what would be best. Try the Garden Finder website at www.ngs.org.uk/search.htm. You can search for gardens by name to find their opening dates and websites. That should give you information on what is worth seeing in April.
Jun 29th, 2005, 04:42 PM
#39
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This is a very comprehensive site for any garden lover: opening times, rates, maps, descripions, etc.:
http://www.gardens-guide.com/
http://www.gardens-guide.com/
Jun 30th, 2005, 06:20 AM
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We were in Southern England three weeks ago. One of our trip goals was to go to lots of gardens without renting a car. We stayed in Rye for four days in Culpepper B and B which was like living in a beautiful garden. It was perhaps a half acre on a steep hillside with terraced gardens all the way to the top of the hill. Our bedroom was on the second floor with a balcony, and our view was beautiful, rhododendrons, azaleas, roses, pansies , lilies, etc. above and below us. The owners have won garden awards for years.
The owners took us to Great Dixter which is an Elizabethan manor owned by an old man who is the author of many garden books. The gardens there included water gardens, topiary, naturalized gardens and herbacious borders.
Then we went by train to the little village of Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, where some of my ancestors are from. The whole village is like a garden. Leading up to the 12th century church is a beautiful rose garden which is a wonderful backdrop for all the weddings that are performed there every year.
We stayed at a 15th century cottage B and B where the owner was always to be found working happily in her garden or in the allotment gardens.
Behind the plant nursery is one of the most beautiful private gardens I have seen. It is five acres of many varieties of trees, including many exotic trees, all flourishing in their setting. There's a water garden, a path to the gazebo and many beautiful beds and borders.
The B and B owner took us to the nearby sculture museum/farm where the world famous Henry Moore had lived. We walked around on the farm, and in each field was one of his huge abstract sculptures. We walked further to the two sheep pastures and in each was a lovely abstract but recognizable mother sheep with her lamb. Unbelievable! I had seen his sculptures in the New York Museum of Modern Art and at the Smithsonian, but the fields were the perfect setting for them. They are so huge that they needed the background of a large field for each sculpture.
Then we walked on the footpaths back to the village, going past cottages with thatched or shingled roofs set in gardens full of flowers.
In the village we met an old man, a WW Two war Veteran, who was on his way to work on his garden in the allotment. He invited us to come with him, so we went into the allotment- maybe ten acres with many small gardens, some with flowers, others , vegetables.
The owners took us to Great Dixter which is an Elizabethan manor owned by an old man who is the author of many garden books. The gardens there included water gardens, topiary, naturalized gardens and herbacious borders.
Then we went by train to the little village of Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, where some of my ancestors are from. The whole village is like a garden. Leading up to the 12th century church is a beautiful rose garden which is a wonderful backdrop for all the weddings that are performed there every year.
We stayed at a 15th century cottage B and B where the owner was always to be found working happily in her garden or in the allotment gardens.
Behind the plant nursery is one of the most beautiful private gardens I have seen. It is five acres of many varieties of trees, including many exotic trees, all flourishing in their setting. There's a water garden, a path to the gazebo and many beautiful beds and borders.
The B and B owner took us to the nearby sculture museum/farm where the world famous Henry Moore had lived. We walked around on the farm, and in each field was one of his huge abstract sculptures. We walked further to the two sheep pastures and in each was a lovely abstract but recognizable mother sheep with her lamb. Unbelievable! I had seen his sculptures in the New York Museum of Modern Art and at the Smithsonian, but the fields were the perfect setting for them. They are so huge that they needed the background of a large field for each sculpture.
Then we walked on the footpaths back to the village, going past cottages with thatched or shingled roofs set in gardens full of flowers.
In the village we met an old man, a WW Two war Veteran, who was on his way to work on his garden in the allotment. He invited us to come with him, so we went into the allotment- maybe ten acres with many small gardens, some with flowers, others , vegetables.
