The Galloping Gardener

The Canal House opened its "secret" garden for the first time this year as part of Amsterdam's Open Garden Day scheme

For a garden weekend with a real difference readers should head for Amsterdam to enjoy the Open Garden Day celebration that takes place on the third weekend in June each year. It’s a wonderful chance to stroll along the canals in the city and see gardens that aren't normally open to the public, plus many of the great museums that line the canals, together with private houses, art galleries and even the green spaces behind banks and hotels that are rarely on show. This year saw 29 gardens participating in the event, which took place over three days – Friday to Sunday and I’m proud to say that in just two days, I visited most of them!

The garden behind ING bank - a surprisingly large plot, where the neighbouring garden is also on show

I was based at the only hotel participating in the scheme – the glorious Canal House on Keizersgracht – a beautifully restored property with a wonderful slick urban garden which is normally only enjoyed by hotel guests. But the weekend saw several thousand visitors flocking to sneak a peak at this secret garden which opened for the first time this year as part of Open Garden Days. The location is perfect, on the edge of one of the three main canals, and the hotel is excellent – a real hidden gem – with a large patch of garden at the rear, because the property is actually three adjoining canal houses, knocked into one. The garden was completely redesigned and replanted last year as part of the hotel renovation.

Museum Geelvinck has one of the most impressive plots, with four interlinked gardens on Keisergracht

Most of the gardens on show are located on Amsterdam’s three main canals – Herengracht, Keisergracht and Prinsengracht and include several cultural landmarks including the Biblical, Van Loon, Geelvinck and Willet-Holthuysen Museums; galleries, including the photography museum Foam and the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund; the garden at Amnesty International’s headquarters; the rarely seen sculptures owned by the bank, ING; the Mayor’s residence; and several private houses that are only open to the public as part of the Open Garden Day scheme.

Amsterdam's canals are the arteries of the city - the Open Gardens make a rare annual treat and allow visitors the chance to see private plots that are not normally open to the public, as well as many of the canals museums

Every garden on show as part of this annual event is unique, and plots range in size from the large gardens that grace the canal museums to tiny private plots. But the joy of the scheme is that you feel you're getting a sneak preview behind the scenes in every place you visit. All participating properties have a green banner outside to flag them out to visitors and once you've bought your tickets (15 Euros for all the gardens, with tickets on sale at selected garden venues), you can wander at leisure and visit Amsterdam's secret green spaces.

The entrance to Amsterdam's botanical garden - Hortus Botanicus

Earlier this week I wrote about Amsterdam's hidden canal gardens - open to the public on the third weekend in June every year - a great chance to visit the city, and explore the green spaces behind the tall, thin houses along the canals. But if you're there for this annual event, you should also visit Hortus Botanicus - the botanical garden at the heart of the city, which is home to more than 6,000 different plants.

Founded in 1682 for the city's apothecaries to grow their medicinal plants, the three-acre gardens have survived as a peaceful haven within this bustling city. Head for any one of the seven glasshouses and you'll be impressed. One spans three climates and features a roof-top walk, which makes for interesting viewing. There's also an orchid nursery and butterfly house. Outside there are numerous beds organised by geographical region and there's also a great cafe - noted for its cheesecake, which provides a good option for lunch if you're out sightseeing. All in all, definitely worth visiting.

And then there's the Flower Market within walking distance of Hortus Botanicus. Although we were warned by locals that it's lost some of its original appeal due to the huge number of stalls selling tourist tat, it still offers wonderful flower displays and a huge selection of bulbs (below). Great for a break from the seedier side of Amsterdam!

The Cotswold stone house at the heart of Upton Wold

We've all visited wonderful Cotswold gardens filled with flowers, which reflect the light from the golden houses they grace, but Upton Wold is quite different to all the other gardens I've seen in my travels. Created by Ian and Caroline Bond over the last 35 years, this garden is all about levels and vistas and undulating landscapes. From the moment you arrive, your eye is drawn in through the gate posts to the house within, but once you start wandering around, you realise this garden is something special. One of the few properties in "The Good Gardens Guide" to be awarded the coveted two-star rating, I assure you that it not only deserves it, but is also one to put on your Wish List.

Borders are kept to a minimum here, because the emphasis is on the rolling landscape

The landscape that faced the Bonds when they moved here was neglected and barren, so they called in Brenda Colvin and Hal Moggridge to help them create the skeleton of what's there now. Mrs Bond is a skilled plantswoman, while her husband has a passion for trees and they've worked side-by-side to turn their garden into the glorious, tranquil landscape that you'll find at the heart of the Northwick Estate today. And while both acknowledge the importance of the Colvin/Moggridge input to the garden there today, it is their efforts that have made this garden unique.

The canal garden created by Anthony Archer-Wills lies behind high hedges on a plateau adjacent to the house

But what really sets this garden apart from many others in the area is that there are wide open vistas, instead of endless borders and topiary. Another innovative addition is the walnut arboretum planted by the Bonds, which now houses the National Collection, comprising more than 170 cultivars and 14 different species. Plantsmen who visit will be amazed by the number of unusual plants here, and arborists will delight in all the trees inside and outside the arboretum, including a handkerchief tree, which took 20 years to flower.

Rolling meadows compliment the more formal garden areas

My favourite part of the garden is the undulating meadow (above), with pathways mown through them that lead from the pond area to the arboretum. But what makes this garden really special is that although it's quintessentially English, it has a gay sense of abandon. It has also evolved as the owners have learned more about horticulture. Ian and Caroline Bond are charming hosts and their enthusiasm is clear as they show you around the landscape they have created.

Wonderful vistas and clever planting keep your eyes entertained wherever you look at Upton Wold

Colvin and Moggridge introduced the network of hedges that have now matured to provide the "walls" of the many garden rooms that are part of the charm of Upton Wold. Anthony Archer-Wills created the canal garden, which sits on a plateau below the early 17th century house. Beyond that there are the meadows filled with wildflowers, the walnut arboretum (Ian Bond's baby) and a pond hidden behind trees (Mrs Bond's favourite), so you get refracted light from the sun shining through the leaves (on the rare occasions that the sun has shone this season).

Entrance to the arboretum and home to the National Walnut collection

Upton Wold does not have regular opening hours, but you can arrange to visit by appointment and I honestly urge you to do so. You won't be disappointed. At its best between April and July, but definitely worth getting a group of friends together for a visit. Call +44 (0)1386 700667 or send an email enquiry to mary.best@northwickestate.co.uk

The terraces at Easton Walled Gardens, overlooking the walled gardens in the valley below

You've got to hand it to Lady Ursula Cholmeley - she's got courage, stamina and a project in progress that would make most of us tremble at the knees - the restoration of Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire. Family home of the Cholmeleys since 1592, the house that used to stand on the site - Easton Hall - was pulled down in 1951. It was requisitioned at the start of World War II, but the soldiers stationed there caused so much damage to the property that restoration was not an option. Eye witness reports of their occupation tell of constant gunfire within the house and grenades being lobbed into the greenhouses!

All the ancient stonework is gradually being restored at Easton Walled Gardens

The 12-acre gardens were left untouched after the demolition and it was only in 1999 that a plan was hatched to revive them. Ursula has completely embraced the challenge of restoring this wonderful landscape and remains calm, serene and most importantly, hugely enthusiastic about her work. With vistas and architectural features like these, who wouldn't be daunted by the prospect of bringing these ancient gardens back to life? But Lady Cholmeley is the most unassuming member of the aristocracy I've met and refers to herself as "custodian" of the gardens, rather than owner. And she's totally committed to her project.

The cottage garden at Easton provides seasonal colour for visitors

President Roosevelt stayed here and described the garden as "a dream of Nirvana ... almost too good to be true". His parents were friends of the Cholmeleys and he spent part of his honeymoon here with his new wife Eleanor in 1905. But neither he nor the Cholmeley family could have foreseen the tragedy that would befall Easton in the next fifty years, after two wars and a half century of neglect. Today the only surviving buildings are the gatehouse and stableyard, which have been restored to provide a shop and restaurant, and the original architectural features of the garden remain including steps, walls and bridges.

Easton Hall was demolished in 1951 and the only remaining buildings are the gatehouse and stableyard

Work began at Easton in 2002 and now, ten years later, there's plenty for the visitor to see, not just in terms of ongoing restoration work, but thanks to the new cottage garden, turf maze, borders and meadows that are permanent eye catchers. Visitors come from all over the country for the annual Sweet Pea Week (1st - 8th July this year - open daily from 11.00-16.00). But the garden you see today has come a long way from the completely overgrown jungle that faced the Cholmeleys on day one. As recently as 2000, you couldn't walk through the gardens at all because they were covered with brambles!

Part of the charm of Easton is the wilderness areas and terraces

Easton Walled Gardens are open throughout the season Wednesday - Friday and Sundays, from 11.00-16.00. Admission is £6.25 for adults and £2 for children. Other gardens nearby include Grimsthorpe Castle and Barnsdale, but you will need several hours to savour the 12 acres here. You can't avoid being infected by the pervading sense of joy here, as new life is breathed back into these ancient gardens. Definitely one to watch and re-visit regularly as work progresses.

From chateaux to chic, I've spent the last couple of days in Normandy looking at glorious gardens, and here's some hors d'oeuvres for July ... a few glimpses of gardens to come in the next few weeks. It's been as wet here as back home, but the gardens in Northern France are thriving.

The gardens here are very different from back home. Topiary abounds and most gardens are predominantly green. There are parterres you wouldn't believe, ancient abbeys filled with flowers and charming English style gardens, but all will be revealed next month as I walk you through some of the wonderful gardens I've visited in the last two days.

It's still raining in Britain, just as it is here, but there's been a few rays of sunshine as I've walked through the gardens here. So fingers crossed for some sunshine next week for Hampton Court Flower Show, which starts on Tuesday.

Two more gardens to visit tomorrow on the way home, and many wonderful pictures to share with my readers. Come back and visit soon and all will be revealed. For garden ideas in England, check out my UK and Europe garden visit pages ... more soon.

Through the garden gate at Upton Wold in Gloucestershire

The weather has been terrible in June, but it's still been a wonderful month of garden visiting, albeit a little wet sometimes! My gallops have taken me to Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Lincolnshire and Worcestershire, as well as further afield to Scotland and France. From the private gardens at Upton Wold (open by appointment to visitors) to the amazing restoration project underway at Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire.

Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire - currently being restored to their former glory

I've seen castles in England, including Lowther and Grimsthorpe, chateaux in France (all to be reviewed soon), glorious cottage gardens, including Stone House Cottage and Brook Farm in Worcestershire, and visited Giverny, Claude Monet's former home in Normandy, that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. And my feet have travelled faster than my I've been able to review here on the blog.

Giverny - Claude Monet's former home in France, draws visitors from all over the world

France is so easily accessible from England that the gardens of Normandy make a wonderful extension for south-coast garden visiting. You can get on any one of several ferries, or take the Chunnel and find yourself in a world where chateaux are the norm, and gardens come on a scale so grand, they'll take your breath away. I'll be reviewing all the wonderful gardens I saw in the next few months with suggested itineraries if you want to take a short break and combine the best gardens in a particular region.

Stone House Cottage gardens in Worcestershire

But never forget that small is beautiful, and we've got some of the best cottage gardens in the world right here in England! Particularly memorable is Stone House Cottage Garden in Worcestershire and nearby Brook Farm, which opens for the NGS this weekend. Get there if you can - you'll love both gardens.

Brook Farm, Berrington - open for the NGS this weekend - catch it if you can!

There are some real treats in July, starting with Hampton Court Flower Show next week. I'll be there on Monday, looking at all the show gardens and sharing them here on the blog. Hope you all have a happy weekend and that we see the sunshine!

Le Bois des Moutiers is less than 15 minutes drive from Dieppe - a short hop across the English Channel

There's little doubt that the gardens in France - Normandy especially - pose a serious threat to our English gardens in terms of the "wow" factor. I've just spent four days there looking at some of their wonderful gardens and they certainly provide a gourmet delight for anybody who loves looking at gardens and landscapes. The main problem with the French properties is there's remarkably little on the internet about them and the stretch of water (often stormy) that divides us from them, seems to deter us from visiting.

The White Garden at the rear of the property has parterre style boxed hedges and is planted with roses

France is not just "foreign", but the French drive on the wrong side of the road for us Brits (although not for our American friends) and then, of course, there's the language barrier. Their road signs are erratic, and just like here in Britain, those much-needed direction signs always run out at the point we rely on them most, although I noticed on this recent trip that the gardens are remarkably well sign-posted. But all of that aside, I urge readers to take a trip across the Channel to enter a whole new world of magical gardens, starting with Le Bois des Moutiers just four miles outside Dieppe - the remarkable Arts and Crafts style house designed by Edwin Lutyens, surrounded by countless acres of formal gardens and parkland, overlooking the sea.

A series of formal garden rooms surround the house at the rear - the front has views over the park and the sea

Le Bois des Moutiers is at Varengeville-sur-Mer, close to Dieppe (there's a reasonably priced ferry from Newhaven on the south coast twice a day and for those who don't want to drive, you can go as a foot passenger and take a taxi to the garden), this must surely be the greatest garden that Lutyens created anywhere in the world. He designed both house and garden, and Gertrude Jekyll, his formidable planting partner provided the lists of plants and plans, although she never actually visited the property.

The Jekyllesque borders at the front of the Lutyens house make a huge impact on visitors

Lutyens was only 29 years old when he designed this house for Guillaume Mallet. Described by present owner, Antoine Bouchayer-Mallet as "an early example of the new art of gardening born in Surrey, England, at the end of the 19th century, it was conceived as a living picture in the style of a tapestry or embroidery". An apt description for the series of Arts and Crafts garden rooms adjacent to the house, with long Jekyllesque borders (above), a pergola similar to the one at Hestercombe in Somerset (below), white garden, walled garden and rose garden, created from the original potager.

The pergola at Le Bois de Moutiers entices the visitor into a series of formal garden rooms near the house

When you arrive at Le Bois des Moutiers you think at first there are just formal gardens here adjacent to the house, but walk to the rear of the property and you will see glimpses of the sea across a sloping, verdant landscape, filled with remarkable plants and trees all planted by the Mallot family more than a hundred years ago. But everywhere you look, the Lutyens influence is present, with brick built seating areas, paths of brick and stone and remarkable clipped yew hedges.

The rose garden - created from the former potager

Summer sees the rose garden in full bloom. Sited on what was once the potager, this area has been replanted by successive generations of Mallots and is now a place to enjoy the heady scents of summer. Claude Monet, who created the garden at Giverny, loved this place and often came here to stay and to paint, because the light reflected off the sea gives the grounds at Le Bois de Moutiers a special hue, particularly in the early morning and evening sunlight. And for once the French lunchtime closure, (from 12.00-14.00) does visitors a favour, because the harsh, midday light detracts from the beauty of this garden.

The rose garden seen from the opposite end (see above)

And then there's the woodland garden leading down to the sea, planted by the Mallet family, and now a major part of the attraction of this property, particularly in early summer when all the camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons flower. The hydrangeas are astounding later in the year, but sadly I was between the two seasons, although the formal gardens make wonderful viewing in summer time, and a walk through the woodland areas will give any gardener an idea of just how stunning this property is, throughout the seasons.

The woodland garden leading down to the sea - particularly glorious in springtime

The gardens at Le Bois des Moutiers are open daily for visitors from 15 March to 15 November, from 10.00-12.00 and from 14.00-18.00. Tours of the house are available for larger groups by prior arrangement - for a full history of the house and further contact details, look at the website. Entrance is 10 Euros per person (money well spent), with discounts for groups. Located close to the garden at Le Vasterival, which I'll be reviewing later, but definitely the Normandy garden to choose if you're passing through from the UK.

Lutyens has left his mark everywhere at Le Bois de Moutiers ... in the paths, archways and pergola

While we're waiting to hear who the medal winners are, here are some of the

glorious displays from the Floral Marquee at RHS Hampton Court this year.

RHS Hampton Court Show Garden - The Italian Garden, designed by Jack Dunckley

RHS Hampton Court opens tomorrow, so let's just say a prayer that the weather is better than today. It started out bright and then turned gloomy, and by the time I left, it was drizzling. But the forecast isn't kind this week, so let's hope visitors to the show get lots of joy from the all the wonderful gardens and exhibits. As always, there's plenty to see and if it rains too hard, you can always go to the Floral Marquee, which is filled with magnificent displays. For a sneak preview, click here.

The World of Gardens section features the Discover Jordan Garden (top left), the Swiss Alpine Garden (top right). the Azorean Garden (bottom left) and the Russian Museum Garden (bottom right).

This year for the first time, there are four international entries in the World of Gardens section, with Jordan, Russia, Switzerland and the Azores exhibiting. The Jordan garden was designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes from Painswick Rococo garden in Gloucestershire; the Russian Museum Garden by Heather Appleton; the Swiss Alpine Garden was created by Sadie May Stowell and the Azorean Garden owes its look to Stephen Hall. Would-be travellers may well be inspired to travel to these countries after visiting the show!

Anoushka Feiler designed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which won Best in Show and a Gold

There are seven show gardens - all very different and filled with interesting features and planting. Bridge Over Troubled Water (above) won the coveted Best in Show award and a Gold medal. Designed by Anoushka Feiler, the garden represents freedom from the symptoms of Overactive Bladder (OAB). Other eye-catching gardens in this category are Jack Dunckley's Silver Gilt winning Italian Job (top), with its glorious colour palette and The Badger Beer Garden, with its wall of beer bottles snaking off into the distance (below) - another Silver Gilt winner.

The Badger Beer Garden - Silver Gilt winner at this year's RHS Hampton Court

With all the constant publicity about recession, recession, recession, the four Low Cost High Impact Gardens are bound to be of interest to visitors to this year's show. They present a range of novel ideas and clever planting, but all on a budget of between £7,000-£13,000. The RHS launched a competition in conjunction with the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and the winning designs are here at Hampton Court. Each of the gardens demonstrates how planting would look after two years, to give visitors a realistic view of what they can achieve. Our First Home, Our First Garden (bottom left) won a Gold medal and Best in Class and was built on a budget of just £7,000.

The four Low Cost High Impact Gardens on show at Hampton Court this year: A Compromising Situation (top left), Live Outdoors (top right), Summer in the Garden (bottom left) and Our First Home, Our First Garden (bottom right)

Other categories in the show include the Conceptual Gardens and the Summer Gardens, which I'll be visiting later this week. And of course, there's all the individual exhibitors stands filled with garden goodies that you'll be truly tempted by. Hampton Court is open until 8th July, from 10.00 daily. Tuesday and Wednesday are reserved for RHS members, but the last four days of the show are open to all. For further information and ticket sales contact the RHS online.

Chateau de Boutemont is a wonderfully romantic castle with gardens in Normandy

If you're in Normandy soon, make sure to visit Chateau de Boutemont in Northern France - a moated, fairy tale castle in the middle of the countryside near Lisieux. It's been home to many different families since its construction in the 16th century, but is now owned by Monsieur and Madame Sarfati, who are committed to restoring the property to its former glory and have recently employed French landscape architect, Georges Hayat to help them. But even before further work begins in this garden, this is a wonderfully romantic property to visit, with its ancient buildings, immaculately-clipped topiary and rolling landscape.

Everywhere you look, there are timber-framed houses, plants thriving in pots and fine topiary

You park in a field near the chateau just before the huge entry gates and if the side gate is closed, ring the main doorbell, because the opening times are clear - Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00 from April to November. When we arrived at 10.15 on a Wednesday morning in June, we were greeted by closed gates and hurriedly checking the literature we'd been given by the local tourist office, were lurking at the entrance when a stony-faced lady emerged and asked what we wanted.

The 16th century chateau takes centre stage in this immaculately-kept garden

Undeterred by her approach (and extremely grateful to my travelling companion, who speaks fluent French and explained that we had driven specially to see the gardens), we were directed to a side gate, which madame unlocked. We paid our entrance fee and entered the magical world of Chateau le Boutemont. We felt like lords of the manor for a couple of hours, because, as the only visitors, we were able to meander through the four hectares of gardens undisturbed, with no other company except head gardener Monsieur Liabeuf, who was busy at work.

The chateau overlooks an Italian-style pool - the water lilies start blooming in June

The chateau and its 12 acres of formal gardens and grounds are approached down a winding lane from the nearby village of Ouilly-le-Vicomte and once inside the gates, you realise this property is really special. There are numerous timber-framed buildings in the grounds, ranging in size from garden huts to garage blocks, and the sloping hillside garden gives magnificent views over the honey-coloured chateau at its heart. The view from outside is very different to within, because it is the four circular corner turrets that catch your eye (top and bottom), while the interior walls of the chateau (below) look like the timber-framed houses that you find throughout this part of Normandy.

The central courtyard at Chateau de Boutemont - surrounded by timber-framed buildings

Start by wandering all the way round the chateau to admire the different buildings and get the lay of the land and then cross the ancient drawbridge to enjoy the courtyard within, and then look out over the reflecting pond below, which begins to fill with water lilies in June. In days gone by, the moat around the castle was filled with water, but today it is dry and the only indication that this was once a fortified home is the ancient drawbridge at the entrance to the property.

Immaculately-clipped yews and ancient pots entice you along gravel pathways at the rear of the chateau

The garden around the chateau is quite small, but is one of the most romantic I've seen yet and on a par with Cothay Manor in England for antiquity and ambience. There is a tiny Neo-Gothic chapel in the grounds, built in 1880, complete with gilded altar and approached by moss-covered steps. Elsewhere there is the huge glasshouse, filled with seedlings and nursery plants waiting to be planted out in the grounds. Gravel pathways have been laid down to the north of the chateau to provide straight walkways alongside the immaculately clipped topiary

The Neo-Gothic chapel, built in 1880, sits near the entrance to Le Boutemont

The heart of the former edible garden lies adjacent to the glasshouse, and it was here that all fruit and vegetables would have been grown for castle residents in years gone by. There are the remains of an orange grove, and a kitchen garden area that would have once provided all that the chateau needed to survive. It is this area the new owners are concentrating on and they have plans to make a new feature here, inspired by Italian Renaissance style, complete with sculptures representing the nine Muses.

The former kitchen garden and glass house, where the gardener grows seedlings and nursery plants

The position of Chateau Le Boutemont makes it an ideal garden to combine with others in Normandy that I'll be reviewing in the next few weeks, including the Jardins du Pays d'Auge, an eye-catching series of themed garden rooms created around a 17th century farm. All are easily accessible from the Channel ports of Dieppe and Caen. For other French garden ideas, see Le Bois de Moutiers and Les Jardins Agapanthe.

For more gardens to visit in France and England, click here

Docwra's Manor in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire - there are more than two acres of gardens behind the house

Drive into the sleepy village of Shepreth, just eight miles outside Cambridge and you'll be amazed to find two astounding gardens at opposite ends of the same street. The first, Docwra's Manor, was created by well-known plantswoman, Faith Raven and her husband, John, a distinguished botanist and author of "The Botanist's Garden". The second - The Crossing House - is the work of Mr and Mrs Douglas Fuller, who started out as amateur gardeners, but often sought help from their knowledgeable neighbours down the road.

When the Ravens arrived here in 1954, there was no garden, but there were some fine trees and together the newleyweds created the plantsman's paradise that's open to the public today. The Crossing House, at the other end of the village, is a labyrinth of intricate planting right next to the railway line, which has evolved over the years, thanks to the gardening skills of the Fullers. Both gardens are delightful, but share many similar characteristics, although on entirely different scales.

There is a labyrinth of garden rooms to the west of the manor, where rare species grow alongside hardy perennials

Docwra's Manor has been on my Wish List for some time and I passed through on my way to Easton Walled Gardens a couple of weeks ago. It's open all year on Wednesdays and Fridays (10.00-16.00) and the first Sunday of every month from 14.00-16.00, March to November. Absolutely ablaze with colour and contour at this time of year, the garden was created by Faith and her husband around the very pretty house (top). They arrived here in 1954 when they were first married and spent the next 25 years creating the garden you see today, which is filled with interesting cultivars gathered during their forays into the Eastern Mediterranean over the years. John died in 1980, but Faith has carried on gardening here.

Mini gates keep the abundant perennials in check around the garden

Faith Raven, who's an octogenarian, divides her time between her lovely Shepreth home and Ardtornish in Argyll, Scotland where she has a very different woodland garden.The whole family are gardeners and Faith's daughter, Sarah Raven is married to Nigel Nicholson of Sissinghurst, and has her own astounding garden at Perch Hill in Sussex, which I visited last year. Average rainfall is very low in this part of Cambridgeshire, so the Ravens needed to find plants that could survive with little water, and planted rarer drought-tolerant plants alongside hardy English perennials.

It's hard to believe that there's less than three acres of garden at Docwra's manor

I met head gardener, David Aitchison, who's a painter and sculptor when not at work at Docwra's Manor and he told me that gardening is remarkably similar to the fine art disciplines, when planning and planting. It is his skills, combined with Faith Raven's that have kept charming cottage garden vibrant and alive, with its subtle colour palette and interesting plant mixes.

Every inch of the garden is crammed with cultivars and the house and outbuildings make a wonderful backdrop

The garden here is a delight - it's interesting, charming and absorbing, with different views at every turn. Deceptively large for two and a half acres, you can spend several hours here wandering through the various parts of the garden admiring the palette and enjoying an extraordinarily large collection of plants. There are areas of lawn and hedges that break up the crowded garden compartments. But overall there's a sense of gay abandon here and every corner you turn brings some new fascinating plant into view.

The tiny 1/4 acre garden at The Crossing House - home to more than 5,000 plants

The Crossing House down the road is just as stunning. Located right next to the railway crossing, Margaret Fuller has created a plantsman's paradise within spitting distance of the passing trains. This tiny patch extends to just a quarter of an acre, but there is not an inch of ground where nothing grows. It is utterly charming. Open every day of the year, yet there is no entrance fee. I looked hard for a contribution box, but found nothing. The owners show this garden for love, not money and you'll enjoy it just as much as Docwra's Manor.

It's estimated that there are more than 5,000 plants crammed into this tiny plot, alongside little pools and an arbour in clipped yew. Topiary flourishes alongside a huge collection of alpine plants. You will be enchanted! Open daily, but make sure you park without causing an obstruction. You can walk from here to Docwra's Manor, or better still park there and walk the few hundred yards to this charming garden. Both gardens are delightful and compliment each other.

Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire was once home to the five infamous Mitford sisters

It's not often that you can see a beautiful garden and enjoy a sculpture exhibition at the same time (although Sculpture Al Fresco has returned to Great Fosters this year), but if you can find the time this week, do try and get to Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire. This magnificent property is open daily until 15th July and you can wander through the garden with its wonderful views over the surrounding countryside and marvel at the large collection of stone sculpture on offer there - all part of the biennial "on form" exhibition.

"on form" 2012 features 28 different artists, including work by Jonathan Loxley

Asthall Manor is probably best known for its connection with the five Mitford sisters, who were raised here by their father Lord Redesdale in the 1920s. Nancy Mitford wrote about her home in her novel, "The Pursuit of Heaven". The property has changed hands several times since then and today Asthall has a very different reputation from the roaring 20s. The current owner has restored both house and garden to their former glory and opens the gates alternate years to show a selection of stone sculpture in June and July.

Isabel and Julian Bannerman redesigned the gardens at Asthall Manor in 1998 and added the sloping parterre

And even though the relentless rain this year has made garden visiting difficult (the car park here carries a large sign saying "4 x 4's only"!), it's a perfect venue to view the numerous stone exhibits - displayed in the six-acre garden and adjacent Norman church and churchyard. This year sees 28 different artists exhibiting, with just as many well-known names as newcomers and there are more than 150 pieces on display.

The garden is Grade II listed and retains many original features alongside the Bannerman additions

Rosie Pearson moved here in 1997 and restored both house and garde - the latter with the help of garden designers, Isabel and Julian Bannerman, who came up with original ideas like a sloping, hillside parterre at the rear of the house and the substantial yew hedges on the next level of the garden. The hedging is particularly effective for displaying sculpture because it acts as a series of galleries, giving plenty of space to each exhibit, and allowing visitors to reflect on the pieces displayed.

The house is built of Cotswold stone and dates back to the 17th century and has wonderful views over the unspoilt Windrush valley below. The gardens here are Grade II listed so the Bannermans added their stamp to the grounds by adding new features while retaining the structure of the garden and enhancing many of the original garden concepts including the borders next to the house. With so much to see here, the entrance fee of £6.50 is well worth paying, and garden lovers will certainly enjoy the grounds. Open daily from 12.00 - 18.00.

The "on line" exhibition extends into the adjacent Norman church and churchyard

But you need to hurry if you're going to enjoy the charm of Asthall Manor, because it's only open until next weekend (15th July) and after that the doors will close again until the next summer exhibition in 2014. Close to many other great Cotswold manors including Hidcote and Snowshill if you want a day out, as well as some of the Oxford gardens.

York Gate, just outside Leeds - one of the greatest garden secrets in the Northern England

After four glorious days in Yorkshire, dodging the downpours, I'm going to bring you some real garden delights in the next few weeks. I've driven more than 1,000 miles looking at landscapes that made me realise how lucky I am to be alive. I've seen weather conditions that made me hold my breath, driven through floods, got stuck in mud and donned my wellington boots more times than I care to remember.

Parcevall Hall is a terraced garden overlooking a landscape that will make you glad you're alive

Yorkshire has some really magnificent gardens and part of their charm is the surrounding landscape. Parcevall Hall looks out onto the world beyond, as does Sleightholme Dale Lodge. York Gate, just outside Leeds, is one of the world's great garden secrets - home to Perennial, the garden charity that helps horticulturists in need.

Sleightholme Dale Lodge, North Yorkshire

Driving home today was something else. It took me nearly eight hours to drive 300 miles because the weather conditions were so appalling! The heavens opened on more than one occasion and I couldn't even see the car in front of me. But I clung to the memories of the gardens I'd seen this week and arrived home safely. As the rain continues to pour down, I hope to brighten your wet days with garden dreams.

Stillingfleet Lodge, just outside York - a charming garden created from nothing over the last 38 years

I ended my trip at Stillingfleet Lodge just outside York - a charming cottage garden created around Vanessa Cooke's family home. And her nursery is filled with plants that will make you understand the true meaning of envy! I wanted to buy them all and bring them home, but I restrained my urge and drove south with happy memories of the gardens I'd visited this week.

For more gardens to visit in England and France, click here

York Gate was bequeathed to the garden charity, Perennial, by the Spencer family

York Gate is one of the most delightful gardens I've visited yet in my travels, although it's difficult to find, has no parking to speak of and such restricted opening hours that you've got to be really determined to get there. Not a good way to start a review of a garden perhaps, but all these obstacles are easily overcome and if you make the effort you won't regret your visit to this magical one-acre garden at Adel, just outside Leeds. This tiny plot is guaranteed to capture your heart so don't be deterred by any of the above. There is parking near the adjacent church and the owners are planning to extend the opening hours in the not too distant future.

York Gate is divided into 14 separate garden rooms and draws inspiration from some of the great gardens of England

The garden is owned by Perennial - originally known as the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society - a charity that helps those in need from the horticultural profession, by providing advice and financial support to arborists, gardeners, plantsmen and others associated with gardening, who have fallen on hard times. York Gate was bequeathed to them in 1994 by Sybil Spencer, who had lived and gardened here for more than forty years with her husband and son, who both died prematurely. Today the garden is a visitor flagship for the work that Perennial does helping horticulturalists.

First view of the garden when you walk in the front gate - from here, paths entice you through the "rooms"

When Frederick and Sybil Spencer arrived here in 1951 there was nothing but the original farmhouse and an empty palette. During the course of the next forty years, Sybil worked first with her husband (who died in 1963) and later with her son Robin, to create the garden that is there today. Robin was just 17 when he came to live here, but he was inspired by his parents enthusiasm and when his father died 12 years later, he stepped into his gardening shoes and carried on working with his mother, until his own premature death at just 47. But Sybil carried on gardening alone following the loss of both her husband and son, and on her death in 1994, she left York Gate to what was then known as the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society.

All paths, buildings and ornaments in the garden were designed and built by Robin Spencer

Sybil was a skilled plantswoman who not only collected plants, but also had an eye for placing them. She had arrived here when there was nothing but an empty site, and spent more than forty years working first with her husband and then her son, turning what had once been an orchard into the exceptional garden there today. The one-acre plot flanks the house on three sides and is actually a series of enclosures divided by hedging and pathways that flow effortlessly into each other. The use of space is so clever, that this garden feels more like a mini Hidcote or Sissinghurst than a tiny garden on the northern outskirts of Leeds.

The Herb Garden at York Gate, with Robin Spencer's stone centrepiece

Today you will find 14 different garden rooms at York Gate, ranging from the Herb Garden (above) which entices you into the shade of the pillared summerhouse at the rear on a hot day, to the White Garden, inspired by Sissinghurst, and Sybil's Garden (below), which adds a touch of modernity to what would otherwise be a classical 20th century garden. Beautifully manicured beech and yew hedges divide the different areas and you will be drawn along Robin Spencer's paths into each and every room, where you will encounter another mini masterpiece.

The tiny greenhouse is packed with plants waiting to be planted

Visiting York Gate is like going to a museum or gallery filled with famous artworks, but without the hushed silence instilled by the presence of cameras and security guards. Here you can wander freely and not just admire the artists' work, but also touch! Part of the charm of York Gate is the feeling of intimacy created by the different garden spaces. But you need to wander round several times to appreciate the gardening talent with which it was created. Every space has been used to maximum effect and there are many rare and unusual plants here.

Everywhere you look at York Gate there is another interesting view

The pathways lead you through the various areas, but take a closer look and you will see a host of unusual plants, all carefully placed to benefit from the conditions in which they're growing - shady plants for shady places and sun lovers for open aspects, all interspersed with hardy perennials that are less picky about their position. Look out too for the astounding stonework and the inlaid paths created by Robin Spencer during the 30 years that he gardened here with his mother. Every garden area has different underfoot features to complement the planting.

Sybil's garden - a touch of modernity at "one of the most important 20th century gardens"

With a legacy such as this, Perennial needs to consider the importance of this garden, which has been heralded by great gardening critics, including Patrick Taylor and household names like Joe Swift who said: "York Gate is one of the most important 20th century gardens and is an outstanding example of great design". This is a veritable garden treasure and the measly three hours that it opens for just two days a week, is not giving garden lovers the chance to enjoy the legacy that Sybil Spencer left to fellow gardeners. Any head gardener will tell you that increased visitor numbers pose problems for gardens, but this must surely be weighed up against the revenue it provides for the property?

The White Garden at the rear of the house

York Gate is easily accessible by car, although you have to park in the lay-by in Church Lane, opposite St John the Baptist church (below) on the main road and then walk through the churchyard to the garden, which is at the far end of the path leading out of the church on the left hand side. It is also accessible by bus from both Leeds and Skipton. Current opening times are only 14.00-17.00 on Thursdays and Sundays (1st April to 30th September), plus Bank Holiday weekends on both Sundays and Mondays from 11.00-17.00. Entrance is £4.50 for adults and children under 16 are free. A season ticket costs just £11.00 annually, so if you live locally, this is definitely the best option.

St John the Baptist Church, Adel - walk through the churchyard to access York Gate garden

Parcevall Hall near Skipton in Yorkshire lies at the heart of the Dales National Park

Sir William Milner was certainly a man of vision with an eye for a view! He bought Parcevall Hall in 1926 and turned the crumbling house into a wonderful home and created the only Arts and Crafts style garden that lies at the heart of a National Park. His godmother was Queen Mary - a regular visitor to his home in Yorkshire - and he spent a major part of his life turning the 25 acres around his house into a exceptional garden that has some of the finest terraces in England, and heart-stopping views over the Yorkshire Dales.

Sir William Milner designed a series of terraces below the house

Given the steep hillside location of the property, it certainly took a man with energy and vision to tackle the task of creating a garden here. But Sir William, a gentle 6'7" giant, who later became a founder member of the Northern Horticultural Society and pioneered the establishment of the Yorkshire RHS garden at Harlow Carr, was undaunted by the task. He first made the house habitable and then extended it, using local stone quarried from the surrounding hills and then concentrated on laying out the gardens on a steep hillside, using terraces to overcome the gradient and creating a unique garden that is often overlooked by visitors to the area, because it is very little known or publicised.

It would be hard to beat the views over the Yorkshire Dales from the terraces at Parcevall Hall

As his passion for his garden grew, Sir William propagated both plants and people in the horticultural world. He encountered many of the early 20th century plant hunters in the course of his work and was great friends with J.C.Williams of Caerhays in Cornwall. The legacy he left behind is a garden filled with rare and unusual tree and plant specimens collected from Western China and the Himalayas. He too, became a knowledgeable plantsman while creating the garden at Parcevall Hall, and his special interest was local and regional plants, and you will find many of those here too.

The garden design is strongly axial, with a circular pond on the first terrace

The oldest part of the house dates back to before 1600, but when Sir William arrived here there was just a modest farmhouse standing on an almost treeless hillside. He extended the house northwards, created the terraces to the south of the property to maximise on the views and transformed the traditional Dales agricultural holding into a gentleman's residence fit for a Queen. The first terrace below the house is planted with yew hedges and divided into three rectangular compartments, with a pergola at the far end and a pond in the middle. This strongly axial pattern is repeated on the terrace below. And below the terraces on a gentle gradient, are the red borders, which give a good view of the house above.

The pergola frame was rebuilt in 1991 using timber from storm-damaged trees

To the side of the house there is a Chapel Garden, a green and leafy area where Sir William built a private chapel for his own use. Today the property is used as a retreat by the Diocese of Bradford and they have instrumental in restoring the gardens to their former glory after a 20-year period of neglect following the death of the man who created them. Now the gardens are immaculately tended and their stunning location and unusual layout make them worthy of a visit.

The verdant Chapel Garden surrounding Sir William's former place of prayer

From here you can access the Rock Garden - described as "the finest in the North of England" - which was created by stripping away thin soil to expose the bedrock. Particularly spectacular when the Himalayan poppies are in flower in May, but it was still looking good when I visited in early July. The water for the central pond and rills is piped from a mine half a mile away. It was this area that suffered most when the property fell into decline; the pond had to be re-dredged and the rock re-stripped to restore it to its former glory. There's also a rose garden, but the recent torrential rains have left most blooms looking battered.

The Rock Garden is fed by water from a local mine

Part of the charm of Parcevall Hall is that it's rarely crowded - perhaps because it lies at the end of a maze of single-track country lanes, making coach access difficult. Certainly worth making the effort to see and possible to combine with York Gate, if you're there on a Thursday or Sunday. Open daily to the public throughout the spring and summer months (April-October) from 10.00-18.00. Entrance is £6.00 for adults.

Stoneacre is a half-timbered 15th century Yeoman's House surrounded by gardens

If you want a day out to remember, with some interesting old houses, filled with history and peppered with famous names, head for the three unique properties in Kent and East Sussex featured here and you'll also be able to enjoy their gardens - Stoneacre, Smallhythe and Monks House. You'll drive through some beautiful countryside and may even come home with some ideas for your garden at home. All three houses are under the umbrella of the National Trust and you can wander freely, inside and out.

The rear of the house opens onto meadows, interspersed with mown grass paths

Stoneacre was once home to Aymer Vallance - a typical late 19th century aesthete who was interested in the work of William Morris and Aubrey Beardsley and knew both of them well. He moved to this 15th century, half-timbered Yeoman's house near Maidstone in Kent when he was 58, and the following year he married for the first time. Together with his wife, Lucy, he restored the property and incorporated many Arts and Crafts features into it, including stained glass windows. In 1928 the Vallances gave Stoneacre to the National Trust. The tenants have created the garden here. Only open on Saturdays (11.00-17.30) and Bank Holiday Mondays.

Smallhythe Place was the actress, Ellen Terry's home - and is famous for its roses

Smallhythe Place - former home of actress, Ellen Terry - is famous for its roses. There's even a yellow rose named after her. Also located in Kent, known as the "Garden of England", this is a wonderful destination for foreign visitors, because you'll be treated to stunning countryside en route to Smallhythe and a classic timber-framed house on arrival, which looks as higgledy piggledy as a witch's cottage in a fairy tale! Add a garnish of roses on the front facade, and I suspect you've got your classic English cottage idyll here! Open daily (11.00-17.00) except Thursday and Friday.

The orchard at Monk's House, near Lewes in East Sussex, with views over the church

The third small garden that housed a famous resident, and compliments the other two here, is Monk's House near Lewes, former home of writer, Virginia Woolf, who bought the house with her husband Leonard as a weekend retreat in 1919. The cottage garden here is charming and although it only extends to a little over an acre, it's filled to bursting with colourful perennials. It also has wonderful views over the South Downs and surrounding countryside.

Monk's House, former weekend home of Virginian Woolf, has extended opening hours this year

Virginia Woolf was part of the Bloomsbury set, and her sister, Vanessa Bell, lived at nearby Charleston, another delightful garden just a few miles away. This year, Monk's House has extended opening hours, so you can visit on any day of the week (13.00-17.30) except Monday and Tuesday. All three of these gardens are visitable in a day and will take you through some of the prettiest countryside in southern England.

Blue bullrush metalwork gates entice you into the hillside gardens at Moors Meadow

Walk around Moors Meadow in Herefordshire and you will soon realise this organic garden is quite different to any other you'll find in the area. It sits at the end of a long country farm track in rolling countryside between Tenbury and Bromyard, overlooking the Kyre valley below and was voted the "Most Romantic Garden" in Central England by BBC Gardener's World readers in 2010. Easy to see why when you get there, but you won't find it in any of the UK garden guides.

Part of the charm of this garden is the meadow plantings

Owner Ros Bissell was born here after her parents moved here in 1955. Tom and Rosie Johnson bought the house and plot for just £400 and worked it as a smallholding and market garden. Ros was the last of seven children and returned to her home in 1999 and has cherished the garden ever since. There are many fine examples of her late husband's metalwork scattered throughout this plantsman's paradise. Head there for the first Sunday of August (Sunday 5th August this year) for the annual "Hot Day in August" for a day of music and stalls in aid of St Michael's Hospice and you'll have the chance to enjoy this garden at the height of summer.

One of many places to sit in the garden - bench made by Ros Bissell's late husband

Established more than half a century ago, the garden is home to hundreds of varieties of trees and shrubs ranging from giant Redwoods at the far reaches of the property to Indian Bean trees, Japanese Lantern trees, a spectacular Handkerchief tree and even a New Zealand Kowhai. Ros' parents started planting when they moved here, and she has carried on the tradition since her return. But don't be deceived by the delightful informality of Moors Meadow, because Ros is always busy propagating and pruning.

Close to the house Ros has carried on the smallholding tradition with productive herb and kitchen gardens

First-time visitors will be entranced by the undulating meadows, filled with wildflowers and the huge collection of shrubs. I was there late in May, but there's no doubt that the last two months of wet weather will have turned this into an even greater spread for visitors.This is a garden with vistas and views and colourful planting throughout the seasons, starting with spring bulbs, borders overflowing with perennials, a wildflower meadow that will be flourishing now, fernery, cottage-style garden and productive kitchen garden. There are also wonderful bluebell displays in springtime.

The seven acres are peppered with metalwork seats and sculptures crafted by Ros' late husband, including the blue bullrush gates (top) that first catch your eye when you head towards the open meadows. But there is also a local artist blacksmith in residence - Joshua De Lisle - who made the tercentenary gates at Richmond Park and his work is also on show in the garden. There's little doubt that this is an eclectic and unusual garden and if you're lucky you'll find Ros sitting on her verandah (below) to tell you more about the plants.

If Ros Bissell isn't busy in the garden, you'll find her on her verandah during the summer months

Moors Meadow is a truly charming garden, romantic too, and open every daily from the end of March to the first week of September (except Wednesdays and Thursdays) from 11.00 -17.00. Admission is £5.00 for adults. It is signposted off the main road from Bromyard to Tenbury. Other nearby gardens worth visiting include Hampton Court and if you want somewhere romantic to stay, there's always Brook Farm at Berrington, which has its own glorious garden.

For more gardens to visit in France and England, click here

RHS Hampton Court is always a major July event for garden and plant lovers

The sunshine finally arrived in July, but left just as quickly as it came! I went in search of new gardens in Cumbria and Yorkshire and found them, travelled briefly to France where I finally saw Le Bois des Moutiers and several gorgeous chateaux gardens, made it to Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire for the biennial sculpture exhibition, and of course, there was Hampton Court Flower Show. We will, no doubt, find out in the next couple of days whether this has been the wettest July on record, but I've certainly had more than my fair share of getting soaked while visiting gardens!

The rose garden at Newby Hall in Yorkshire

The weather did stay relatively dry for my visit to Yorkshire earlier this month, where I managed to see at least eight new gardens, including York Gate, the garden run by Perennial, Parcevall Hall, with its magnificent terraces and a few others including Newby Hall (above), Sleightholme Dale (below) and Stillingfleet Lodge - all yet to be reviewed.

Sleightholme Dale Lodge in North Yorkshire - to be reviewed in August

The forecasters keep promising us better weather for August, but it remains to be seen if their predictions will be correct. This has certainly been the wettest summer on record here in Britain and the doom and gloom cast over us all by the hosepipe ban earlier in the year, soon turned into a joke here in England, as local water boards refused to lift the ban, even in the face of severe flood warnings around the country. And as we speak, Olympic competitors are doing battle with the elements on the south coast.

Le Bois des Moutiers near Dieppe in France - an Edwin Lutyens house and garden

My plans for August include a trip to Gloucestershire to revisit some of the great gardens there and a short break in Norfolk to see Will Giles' Exotic Garden in Norwich, as well as some of the other gardens that are missing from my lists, including Houghton Hall and East Ruston. But in the meantime, I've got many reviews to catch up on, so hope to add new gardens every other day during the next month for my readers - they're all photographed and ready to go - so I just have to find the time to sit down and write about them. Hope you'll find time to check in and see where I've been as the month progresses.

For more gardens to visit in France and England, click here

Little Sparta - "THE PRESENT ORDER IS THE DISORDER OF THE FUTURE SAINT-JUST"

Little Sparta, near Edinburgh in Scotland has been described as both “a modern, mythological garden” (Jonathan Jones) and “the most important new garden in Britain since 1945" (Sir Roy Strong). It’s certainly one of the most intriguing landscapes I’ve visited yet on my travels, although it won’t appeal to those in search of borders or beautiful horticultural symmetry. “Garden” in the traditional sense, is a misleading word for this extraordinary site, because although you’ll find plenty of greenery, in reality it's an open-air museum showcasing the talents of poet and artist Ian Hamilton Finlay.

The Temple Pool Garden

Located in a secluded part of Lanarkshire, with views over the Pentland Hills, everything about Little Sparta hints of allegory and illusion, from the warships in the garden, to the references cut into stone and wood detailing his battles with the council about the use of his home as a museum. Hamilton Finlay acquired the five-acre property - originally a farmstead called Stonypath - in 1966 and spent the next forty years of his life toiling the land and adding to his collection of concrete poetry. He is acknowledged as Britain's foremost "concrete poet", and if you visit, you'll understand why - it's filled with sculptures bearing inscriptions, from bridges to pathways and gates to stone walls.

Hamilton Finlay had an interesting upbringing - born in Nassau and reputedly the son of a bootlegger, he returned to Scotland with his parents in the 1930s. He left school at just 13 and briefly attended the Glasgow School of Art before the outbreak of World War II. He also lived and worked as a shepherd in Orkney, and after a brief first marriage, settled down with his second wife at this derelict farm where he would spend the rest of his life.

The front garden is a series of shady glades with different pathways - keep looking down to see Finlay's words

Little Sparta is quite unlike any other garden you'll see, and although it has neither the scale nor the space of Scotland's other really unique property - The Garden of Cosmic Speculation - it is no less extraordinary.Unlike Charles Jencks' garden at Portrack, the joy of Little Sparta is that it opens regularly throughout the summer and you don't have to make a special trek to mingle with thousands of others on the only open day of the year.

"Arch n. An Architectural Term A Material Curve Sustained by Gravity As Rapture By Grief"

Perched at the top of a hill and accessed by a farm track through fields, the Hamilton Finlays made sure that their little slice of Eden was away from prying eyes and were happy to share it with the public. Today the property is run by the Little Sparta Trust which continues to maintain the status quo and keeps the garden open throughout the summer months. After a hike up a half-mile track from the main road, you arrive at a beautifully crafted wooden gate, which gives you an idea of what you'll find within.

The Wild Garden at the rear of the farm, is filled with many different artworks and mature trees

The garden includes more than 200 of Hamilton Finlays' artworks, in what Sir Roy Strong would describe as an "emblematic" garden, popular in the last half of the 16th century. It was his wife, Sue, who was responsible for all the planting here, and although much of the garden is actually open spaces, planted with trees and shrubs, making full use of the landscape views beyond, there is structured planting in the Roman garden, the front garden, the Allotment and the Temple Pool garden.

Carefully placed inscriptions underline the remarkable landscapes beyond the garden

But wherever you are at Little Sparta, it's the astounding countryside that will catch your eye - used to full advantage by Hamilton Finlay to showcase his collection of strategically placed stonemasonry (below) and underlining the view beyond. He did all the landscaping here and the result is a modern Stowe, with buildings, artefacts and inscriptions that ask visitors to examine our place in both nature and society. Combine that with his use of words and you will understand why Roy Strong paid him the tribute he did.

Temple of Apollo with inscription "HIS MUSIC HIS MISSILES HIS MUSES"

Words and pictures cannot really tell the story of this extraordinary garden - there is so much to see with more than 200 of Hamilton Finlay's works on show. You need to visit for yourself to understand the magic of his former home and reflect on his concrete poetry. To read an interview with the man who created this garden, see the thinkinGardens feature by Ambra Edwards. Little Sparta is open from 14.30-17.00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 1st June - 30th September. Admission is £10, with an additional £5 fee for photography.

Coleton Fishacre was designed and built for Rupert D'Oyly Carte, using local Dartmouth shale

Coleton Fishacre is a secluded, but spectacular garden in Devon, hidden away down winding country lanes. This year marks the 30th anniversary of its acquisition by the National Trust - originally as part of the Enterprise Neptune campaign to link up the South Devon coastal path. The house at the heart of the 30-acre estate (above) was commissioned for the flamboyant and wealthy owner - Rupert D'Oyly Carte, son of the impresario behind the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas - who used the house and grounds for entertaining.

The garden extends to 30 acres and enjoys a microclimate because of its position

All the main rooms in the house face south, and Art Deco enthusiasts will enjoy the furnishings and textiles. But garden lovers will love the grounds, filled with rare and unusual plants, including many exotics, which thrive in the microclimate created by the unique position of the property, at the end of a promontory with the River Dart to the west and the sea at Pudcombe Cove. Access to Coleton Fishacre is along tiny Devon lanes, so it has not been ravaged by garden tourism - this is part of its charm, even if the access roads are a little daunting. My advice is: go early in the day so you don't meet a coach coming the other way!

The rill garden - filled with colourful flowers in high summer

The house (top) was designed by Oswald Milne - a pupil of Edwin Lutyens - and is quite austere. It's well worth taking a tour of the interior to see some fine examples of "art deco" living, but be warned.... don't try and take photographs out of the windows, because the ladies that look after this house on behalf of The National Trust, will simply not allow you to! I got into dreadful trouble with my camera and almost had it removed after quite some debate about whether or not I should be allowed to point my lens at the gardens from inside.

Coleton's hillside position provides plenty of planting variety - most of it faces south

But you can photograph what you want outside and there's lots to immortalise on your memory card. Because Coleton is situated in a protected position near a river estuary it has its own micro-climate and you will find plants here that don't grow elsewhere in the UK, including proteas. There is also an unusual tree collection and you will encounter redwoods and swamp cypress, as well as a very tall tulip tree and a tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima).

You'll find proteas in full bloom at this time of year

I have to confess that I'm not an expert on plants and I visit gardens to gauge the overall impression and atmosphere rather than the planting - but I'm told this garden is a plantsman's paradise - and visitors come from far and wide to see specimens that are not found anywhere else in this part of England. Even I was aware there are plants and flowers here that I've never seen anywhere else in the UK and I was particularly taken by the colour scheme and the way in which the borders were laid out around the house. Everywhere you look there are vibrant colours and another surprise!

Part of Coleton's charm is that the garden is so varied ...

Part of Coleton's charm is that it is so varied - there's a wonderful rill garden (above), filled to bursting with flowers, acres of woodland that wind down towards the sea and afford splendid views, and a stream that meanders through the valley. Every corner you turn gives a different vista, yet you feel as though you are hidden away from the rest of humanity in a secret garden. The range of plants is impressive and because there are so many exotics, it makes especially good viewing in high summer.

There are many other gardens near here worth visiting, so if you have the time or inclination, do stay locally because this will allow you to visit some of the other properties nearby - it's a magical part of England and you won't want to leave! Particularly notable and worth visiting is The Garden House. Coleton Fishacre is open daily until the end of September, except Fridays, from 10.30 - 17.00. It remains open in October, but check website for opening times.

For more summer garden ideas, click here

Amsterdam's Open Garden Days 1 - a great chance to see Holland's hidden canal gardens

Flower Power in Amsterdam - Hortus Botanicus and city flower market

Upton Wold - a Cotswold garden with a difference

Roosevelt's "Dream of Nirvana" - Easton Walled Gardens

French garden Hors d'Oeuvres for July!

Farewell June - the best of English and French gardens

Fabulous Normandy Gardens - Le Bois des Moutiers - Edwin Lutyens' French masterpiece

RHS Hampton Court 2012 - Highlights from the Floral Marquee

RHS Hampton Court 2012 - Lots of innovative ideas and Low Cost gardens to beat the recession

Glorious French gardens - Chateau de Boutemont - a 16th century jewel in the heart of Calvados country

Docwra's Manor and Crossing House - two glorious gardens near Cambridge

Last chance to visit Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire - Grade II listed garden "on form" again!

Up and down Yorkshire dales .... gardens that made my heart leap!

A hidden Yorkshire garden treasure - York Gate, Leeds

Parcevall Hall - an Arts and Crafts garden with astounding views over Yorkshire Dales

"Small is beautiful" - Stoneacre, Smallhythe and Monk's House

Moors Meadow - in touch with the wild in Herefordshire

Goodbye July - we saw the sunshine at last, but will it be the wettest on record?

Little Sparta - Scotland's "modern, mythological garden"

A taste of the unexpected at Coleton Fishacre, Devon