Gardening Holiday in England

Gardening Holiday in England

I am giving you a couple of my favorite spots in different counties in England which are worth going to if you love gardens. This would be a fun holiday, staying at bed and breakfasts in small villages, or ancient historic hotels. Plan your route carefully since petrol is $10 a gallon (according to my sister at our this week’s zoom meeting) The Spring is my favorite time to go garden exploring. Can be a little chilly, but if you get sunshine, you are blessed.

Best for Bulb and plant lovers – Near Manchester, Midlands

Royal Horticultural Society Garden Bridgewater is the first new garden in over 20 years opened last

May. Set over 154 acres on the former site of Worsley New Hall in Salford. It is the only RHS garden to be created in an urban area. Highlights include the Weston Walled Garden, one of the U.K.’s largest working Victorian walled gardens, landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith's tranquil Paradise Garden, with extensive orchards, woods, meadows, and lakes, all developed with modern technology in mind, Just an hour away, near Stoke on Trent, is Trentham Gardens a 725 acre estate that’s hosts a wonderful Spring Bulb Festival. Tulips steal the show but another must see includes the rose border which boasts 5,000 bulbs. rhs.,org.uk/gardens/bridgewater

Best for Daffodils, Essex

Just outside Saffron Walden, the spacious gardens of Audley End are a treat to visit in the Spring as thousands of naturalized daffodils burst into life. The award winning gardens including idyllic woodlands, primroses and forget-me-nots . Lovely pond gardens and peach, plum and pear blossoms in the Walled Kitchen Garden. Essex is the home to RHS Garden Hyde Hall, near Chelmsford. More than 120,000 daffodils line the approaching road and containers burst with tulips at the entrance. Camellias, rhododendrons and magnolias add bright splashes of pink and red and sweet peas fill the air with scent in late May. The Roslin Beach Hotel is just 30 minutes drive away. (www.roslinhotel.com)Also, book the Cambridge Lodge which sleeps 4, a lovely Victorian gatehouse.

Best for Blossom – Norfolk

Try hanami (Japanese for cherry blossom viewing) Nature’s confetti can be seen in abundance around Norwich Cathedral, home to a herb garden and close to the historic Adam and Eve pub. (I dream of fish and chips and a shandy – half beer and half lemonade) The Walled Garden at Felbrigg Hall is home to ornamental cherry and fruit trees, including apricots and peaches

which blossom in March, followed by plumbs and pears in April, and apples in May.

Holkham Hall Park has over 3,000 acres to explore, including pine woods and a four mile sandy beach. Scented magnolia and ceanothus are at their best in April. The Assembly House, is a lovely historic place to stay. (assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk)

Best for Woods and Walking – Near Oxford

Head to Blenheim Palace to enjoy a glorious walk through woodlands and its famous Capability Brown designed garden. Take one of the well marked circular trails and follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill who was born there. (blenheimpalace.com) Good place to stay, the Feathers, a boutique hotel in Woodstock.

Best for Sculpture.

Nature meets art at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield. Set in 500 acres there are 100 or so sculptures to discover. Portrack House, near Dumfries is only open once a year (usually first Sunday in May). Another must is the Wye Valley Sculpture Garden in Monmouthshire. This 4 acre gem has formal lawns surrounded by herbaceous borders and woodlands. Stay at Waterton Park Hotel, Wakefield (watertonparkhotel.co.uk)

Hopefully it will soon be safe to travel overseas and if you start planning now, it will give you something to look forward to.

My granny used to say, "a glass of wine can work more miracles than a church full of saints."

I'm having a glass of white wine, and asking for a miracle of a trip to England next year.

Maureen Jones

All Horizons Travel

650-961-2340 direct