knepperhorn: English Garden Tours

Haddon Hall, Derbyshire / photo: JR P

By Jim Ferri

Gardening is such a popular pastime in Britain it?s practically been elevated to an art form.

The British have been mucking about in their gardens ever since Roman times and still take such delight in it that you find beautiful gardens all over the country. Ranging from little plots outside a kitchen doors to vast parklands surrounding palatial manor houses, they can be places of incredible beauty.

Kew Gardens, Brentford / photo: Laura Nolte

Luckily, many of the grandest of these gardens are open to the public, flaunting their floral finery for all who come. And while it?s true that you can find stately gardens all over the world ? in the gardens of the grand chateaux of France, botanic gardens scattered about North America, beautiful contemplative places Asia and elsewhere ? in Britain there are so many, in such a relatively small space, that there?s nothing else quite like it anywhere.

Chelsea Flower Show / photo: VisitBritain

London?s Chelsea Flower Show (May 21-25 this year) heralds the arrival of summer and the beginning of the ?Summer Season.? The show is held under the auspices of The Royal Horticultural Society and Britain?s leading horticulturists transform several acres of the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital into a vista of beautiful gardens.? It?s a perennially popular event that promises to be even more so this year during it?s 100^th anniversary, so book ahead if you plan on going.

If you?re a casual gardener visiting Britain you may be sated by beautiful plantings you see in various places in or around London, since you don?t necessarily have to travel vast distances to see gorgeous ?gardens in England. All over Britain you?ll find huge green spaces, some of the most famous in the world, which you can visit ? la carte on day trips out of London and other cities.

The Maze at Chatsworth / photo: JR P

But if you?re serious about things of a horticultural nature you may want to make these green spaces the focus of your journey to the British Isles. If that?s the case you may want to, if you?ll pardon the pun, do some advance digging prior to your trip. A good place to start is Great British Gardens (http://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk), an online resource that lists gardens by geographic areas and types of plants. Great British Gardens is a commercial site that also offers to book you a nearby hotel but it?s free to browse and has a wealth of good information.

Great Dixter, East Sussex / photo: VisitBritain

Anytime from April through autumn is a good time to plan a trip and there are plenty of places to visit.? Outside London you?ll find a bounty of blooms at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, Hampton Court Palace and the Savill Gardens in Windsor. Wisley Garden in Surrey has 200 acres of gardens, while in Great Dixter near Rye, the family home of late gardening writer Christopher Lloyd, there are extensive cottage gardens. The 100-acre garden in Sheffield Park in East Surrey dates from the 18^th century.

Sussex, Kent and Surrey are a treasure trove for the tourist- gardener with beautiful formal gardens around many stately homes and estates. While these gardens explode with color in spring and summer, some, such as Polesden Lacey in Surry, famous for its walled rose garden, also have winter displays.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent / photo: JR P

Trebah Gardens in Cornwall, rated one of the 80 finest gardens in the world, is famed for its a sub-tropical jungle that has stunning coastal views. The other-worldly looking Eden Project in nearby Bodelva, has recreations of some of Earth?s most fertile environments inside two 50-meter biomes, including the world?s ?largest rainforest in captivity.? During the summer months the Project hosts rock concerts in a summer music series.

Sheffield Park / photo: JR P

Further north in Wales is the largest greenhouse in the world, covering 560 acres of gardens containing 8,000 different plant varieties, in the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Still further north, way up in the Scottish Highlands, Inverewe Garden grows exotic species in its 50 acres of gardens. Amazingly, the Garden is home to over 2,500 species of colorful sub-tropical plants, their survival made possible by the warming currents of the Gulf Stream.

Late June in the Bath Gardens, Bakewell, Derbyshire / photo: JR P

If you plan to take an organized garden tour in Great Britain, several companies that offer them are listed below. Others can be found through online searches. You may also want to contact any one of the several botanical gardens throughout the U.S. to see what they offer. The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, for example, gives garden tours abroad.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent / photo: JR P

Finally, many of these great gardens, as well as other popular sites throughout Britain, are under the stewardship of the National Trust. If you plan to visit three or more National Trust properties in England, a National Trust Touring Pass (?23 for one person, ?41 for two), which provides admission to hundreds of sites and gardens throughout England, could be a good buy.