Anglesey Abbey Gardens and Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire
Visit the grounds of this Jacobean house where tree blossom and hyacinths flourish
in the garden. There’s also the winter garden to enjoy with its
coloured tree barks, winter flowering shrubs and ground cover plants.
Belton House, Lincolnshire
Don’t
miss the delicate snowdrops in early spring or, later in the season,
the tulips in the Dutch garden – a truly uplifting sight. Belton House
also promises magnificent, formal Italian gardens.
Blickling Hall, Park and Garden, Norfolk
Visit
in May and follow the winding paths through the great wood, and pass
through swathes of dainty English bluebells; it’s one of the best places
to see them in the country. At the heart of the garden, discover one of
England’s great Jacobean houses.
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
Look
out for bluebells and yellow archangel in the woodlands, as well as the
‘Old Man of Calke’, an ancient oak that’s over 1,000 years old. In the
walled gardens explore the flower garden and find beds brimming with
pretty wallflowers.
Coleton Fishacre, Devon
Lose
yourself in the magical woodland garden with its masses of azaleas,
rhododendrons and camellias, which cascade towards the sea. Weave
through glades, past tranquil ponds where tender plants from the
Mediterranean, South Africa and New Zealand thrive in the moist and
sheltered valley.
Dudmaston Estate, Shropshire
Explore
eight acres of this picturesque garden and see magnolias, flowering
cherries and kalmias, as well as primroses and daffodils against a
backdrop of dramatic rhododendrons.
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
The
UK’s largest winter garden continues to flourish, where splashes of
bright colour set the place alive. Stroll down camellia walk, spot over
10,000 plants in the brilliant cyclamen grove, see swathes of blue and
purple carpet the bluebell meadow and bask in the bright mix crocus,
narcissi and iris in the yellow meadow.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire
Explore the ruins of the twelfth century Fountains
Abbey and spot dainty spring flowers breaking through this stunning
landscape. The water garden is just as spectacular with its moon-shaped
ponds and classical statuary.
Glendurgan Garden, Cornwall
Described
as a little bit of heaven on earth, this sub-tropical valley garden
blooms with magnolias, wild flowers and woodland flora, including drifts
of bluebells.
Nymans, West Sussex
This 20th-century garden is famed for its amazing collection of rare and important plants. In spring spot displays of snowdrops as well as camellias and magnolias underplanted with drifts of daffodils and grape hyacinths.
Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens, Gwynedd
Overlooking
the Menai Straits, with uninterrupted views to Snowdonia the
spectacular rhododendrons and garden - the 7th Marquis' pride and joy -
the azaleas and magnolias in the Humphry Repton landscape are quite a
sight to behold too.
Rowallane Garden, Co. Down
Spring
time is one of the most exciting times to visit Rowallane, when the
enormous and much-admired collection of rhododendrons burst into colour. The magical walled garden is also a must see for the magnolias, daphnes and azaleas.
Sheffield Park and Garden, East Sussex
Enjoy a spot of woodland and water in this stunning 18th-century
landscape garden designed by Capability Brown and Humphry Repton. In
spring, enjoy the site of daffodils and bluebells blooming beneath
canopies of rhododendrons and azaleas.
Sizergh Castle and Garden, Cumbria
See
the brightly coloured tulips on the top terrace, walk beneath cherry
blossom in the Dutch garden and enjoy the spring colours in the rock
garden. Just five miles from junction 36 of the M6, it is the perfect
pit stop.
Wallington, Northumberland
Don’t
let April showers discourage a visit to spring gardens. Wallington’s
Edwardian conservatory in the walled Garden has a varied and colourful
plant collection, making it the perfect place to find shelter.
Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire
The
garden here boasts thousands of daffodils in April, along with a walled
vegetable garden, Gothic tower, Chinese bridge and serpentine lakes.
The Weir, Herefordshire
The
first daffodils emerged on St David’s Day and continue to flourish at
this serene riverside garden. Created in the 1920s, The Weir covers ten
acres and offers dramatic views of the Wye Valley and Herefordshire
countryside beyond. |
