The Galloping Gardener

Hidcote Manor has undergone a £3.5 million renovation programme since the Millennium

I first visited Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire a couple of years ago on a hot summer morning in June. It was nothing short of a nightmare! The car park was heaving with coaches, it was over-run with visitors and I came away feeling that I'd been short-changed at a garden theme park ... hustled, bustled and shoved out of the way by foreign tourists desperate to immortalise Lawrence Johnston's iconic Cotswold garden on their memory cards. Of course, Hidcote and Sissinghurst are to England, what Giverny and Villandry are to France in terms of drawing garden visitors, but this time I arrived at five in the evening at the tail end of another rainy day and found it empty. It was paradise!

First view of the cottage garden at Hidcote as you enter the property

Hidcote has undergone a huge transformation and reincarnation during the last decade, under the stewardship of the National Trust and a committed team of gardeners headed by Glyn Jones. Regarded as one of the most influential 20th century gardens in Britain, it was created by a passionate gardener - Lawrence Johnston - who was no more than an amateur when he arrived in Gloucestershire in 1907. But he became extremely skilled during the 40 years that he lived and gardened here. It was the first property given to the Trust exclusively as a garden, but during the next fifty years of their "parenting", it lost much of the original spirit in which it had been created.

Lawrence Johnston used hedging and trees to protect his ever-growing plant collection at Hidcote from the winds

As the Millennium approached, a decision was made to restore the garden to the way it was when it was when given to the Trust in 1948. Twelve years and £3.5 million later, Hidcote is back on the map looking the way it did when Johnston left it. The 300-acre estate at Hidcote Bartrim, was originally purchased by Lawrence's mother, Mrs Gertrude Winthrop in 1907, but she had never envisaged a garden here because she was more interested in being lady of the manor. Fortunately, her son had different aspirations and he reclaimed 10 acres from the estate to create the garden that is there today.

Much of the charm of Hidcote is the vistas through the various garden rooms

Hidcote occupies an unlikely position for a garden of this stature, because it sits on top of a hill overlooking the Vale of Evesham. There was nothing here but fields when Johnston arrived with his mother and the garden rooms were born - using walls and hedging - as a result of his endeavours to provide protection to his ever-growing plant collection. Little has ever been published about him, although he was an ex-patriate American who settled here and fought for his new homeland in both the Boer and First World Wars. He was known as the quiet American, and was the son of a wealthy Baltimore family.

The red borders at Hidcote are like a firework display

Fortunately for modern visitors, it appears that Lawrence Johnston was an early 20th century plant "geek". He was obsessed both with his garden and plants and travelled widely collecting plants during the 1920s. But equally fortunate was the extent of his mother's wealth, because it would have been impossible to have amassed such a fine collection of plants in those post-war years, without considerable financial backing. He also acquired his second garden property in the roaring 20s - Serre de la Madone - in the South of France, near Menton, and used this as the home for plants that could not survive the English climate. He later retired there because of ill health and today, that garden is also being restored.

Anna Pavord has argued that Johnstone was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement at Hidcote

With little gossip and nothing more than a couple of letters and diaries left behind by Lawrence Johnston about his life or his garden, it is hard to know where he acquired his sense of design. It has been mooted by Anna Pavord that he was influenced by the emerging Arts and Crafts gardening movement, spearheaded by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. His close neighbour and friend, Mark Fenwick lived at Abbotswood nearby, and he had plans drawn up by Lutyens for his own garden in 1902. And although Hidcote does not bear the normal hallmarks of the era in terms of pergolas, terraces, urns and ornaments, the massed planting style does.

Hidcote's Rose Walk offers colour and variety throughout the seasons

The restoration project undertaken by the National Trust at Hidcote has breathed new life into a property that was beginning to look somewhat sad and dishevelled at the end of the 20th century. Fortunately the Trust has had the vision to recreate this important property and restore the original planting plans in the various different garden rooms.

The Bathing Pool Garden where the water in the pool
changes colours with the seasons

Although the garden covers only ten acres, there are 28 different garden areas here, each with different themes, ranging from the White Garden to winter borders, the magnificent newly-restored Plant House to a Poppy Garden, and the Bathing Pool garden, where the water changes colour according the seasons, ranging from an icy blue in winter, to the vivid green of high summer. But the master plan is more complex even than the number of garden rooms because to the south of the manor, the different gardens are all on different levels, with paths winding through them and a staggering array of secret entrances through topiary dividers.

There is no preferred route around Hidcote - you find your own way through the gardens and try not to miss anything, although a single visit will never be sufficient to take it all in. To the north of the manor, there is a very different feel to this garden, and the magnificent restoration and rebuilding of Lawrence Johnston's famous Plant House is a credit to the National Trust and the plantsmen who keep this garden alive. But whichever route you take, try not to miss anything - there are many hidden corners at Hidcote. You have to start south of the manor because the entrance is through the house, but it's easy to get diverted and miss the north part of the garden.

The Rock Bank has undergone a complete restoration at Hidcote as part of the renovation work

To the north of the manor house you'll find the magnificent Rose Walk, ablaze with colour in high summer; and the welcome shade of the Plant House, filled with exotic plants, overlooking the lily pond, as well as the Kitchen Garden, filled with tempting produce. Elsewhere in the garden, the Rock Bank (above) has also been restored, and although it is early days, given all the replanting, this will come into its own as it matures. Also worth remembering about this garden, is that a change in the seasons will bring about a change in the look of the garden, because it was originally planted to ensure that there was always interest, even in the harsh winter months.

Hidcote is open every day throughout the spring and summer months (April to end of September), from 10.00-18.00. Best times to visit are as it opens or later in the day, if you want to enjoy the garden without too many visitors. Entrance is £10 for adults and £5 for children (free to National Trust members). Make sure you don't miss Kiftsgate Court on the other side of the road if you make the pilgrimage to Hidcote Bartrim. Best place to stay locally is Clapton Manor, run by James and Karin Bolton, who open their lovely home to visitors on a bed and breakfast basis.

First view of the terrace at Kiftsgate Court in early summer

Gloucestershire has more than its fair share of glorious gardens and if you're making the pilgrimage to Hidcote Manor, you must also visit Kiftsgate Court. It's a very different garden, but shares wonderful views over the Vale of Evesham, and is a tribute to the three generations of women gardeners who've made it what it is today. And it's right opposite Hidcote Manor, so a must see if you've made the effort to see Lawrence Johnston's garden, which has received of a £3.5 million makeover in the last decade.

The wide border at Kiftsgate Court

Kiftsgate was built at the end of the 19th century and provides a magnificent backdrop for the gardens created there in the last 90 years. It has a Georgian front with a high portico, which can be seen from various parts of the garden and is still used as a family home, but unlike so many other properties where the house dominates the landscape, it's the gardens here at Kiftsgate that will make you gasp. And at this time of year, most of the garden is in bloom - from the moment you walk in and are greeted by the magnificent roses, to the glorious white garden; the rose border; and the lower garden overlooking the Vale of Evesham towards the Malvern Hills (below).

View over the half-moon pool and the Vale of Evesham

The garden was originally planted by Heather Muir in the 1920s. She had help from her closest neighbour, Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote, but Kiftsgate has stayed in private hands and has been cosseted by two further generations of women gardeners, so retains a sense of intimacy and charm and feels like a family home. You'll find the famous 'Kiftsgate' rose (Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate') in full bloom if you visit in June and July, although current owner Anne Chambers likens it to a "triffid" if kept unchecked!

The sunken white garden at Kiftsgate Court

Leaving the heavenly scented formal gardens behind, you'll find yourself in the sheltered Lower Garden with its half moon swimming pool overlooking the Malvern Hills (above) - and as you wander through the huge Monterey pines, you'll find many exotic plants including echium and agave, sheltered from winter frost on the banks leading down to the pool. You'd be forgiven for thinking you've walked into an entirely different climate here, because it's so different.

And don't miss the amazing Water Garden (above) - a modern masterpiece commissioned by the present owners, where 24 swaying bronze leaves designed by sculptor Simon Allison reflect in the black water of the rectangular pond, complete with stepping stones inspired by the moat at Sutton Place. This is a place to sit and reflect on what you've already seen in this amazing garden. But do make sure you don't miss the Lower Garden (below) even if it is a steep climb - there are many tender and unusual plants here.

Kiftsgate Court is open from May to end of July five days a week from 12.00-18.00 and during August from 14.00-18.00. Check website for opening times outside main season. Closed Thursday and Friday. Admission is £7.00 for adults and £2.50 for children. Free to HHA members.

Coughton Court - a castellated Tudor manor house and home of the Throckmorton family since 1409

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Coughton Court (pronounced 'Coaton') was a small castle, when you approach this Tudor property in the heart of Shakespeare country in Warwickshire. Your first view is the one above - a honey-coloured house, with towers and castellations, which has been home of the same family since the 15th century. And it's the current resident - Clare Throckmorton - who, with the help of her daughter, Christina Williams, has created the garden here in the last two decades. Before they started work here in 1991, there was a rather flat and uninteresting landscape around an important listed property.

At the rear of the house there are two avenues of pollarded limes, which lead to a pair of sunken gardens

Christina is no newcomer to garden design and was an RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner in 2010. The landscape she's created at her family home is a tribute to her talents, but more importantly, has turned Coughton Court into one of the great Midlands gardens, attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually. The house is managed by the National Trust and features portraits, priest holes and an impressive collection of furnishings and family memorabilia. But garden visitors can enjoy one of the best walled gardens in the country with a fine collection of roses and a landscape that is constantly evolving.

The formal courtyard garden overlooks the pollarded lime avenues (above)

At the rear of the house, Christina has created a formal garden comprising a courtyard with box-edged beds (above), laid out in the style of an Elizabethan knot garden and filled with different perennials throughout the seasons. On the same axis, there's a double lime walk, leading away from the house towards a pair of sunken gardens. Elsewhere there are a series of contemporary garden rooms, all immaculately planted and tended. But at this time of year, it's the former walled kitchen garden that attracts most attention from visitors.

The walled garden features a rose labyrinth and 'hot' and 'cold' borders to provide constant seasonal colour

The two-acre walled garden adjoins St Peter's Church and has an impressive rose labyrinth, where more than 200 varieties of roses are entwined with clematis around arches and pedestals and underplanted with perennials. Only opened in 1996, it received the World Federation of Rose Societies' Award of Garden Excellence, ten years later in 2006 - a first for a UK garden, but you wouldn't know this unless you happened to see the tiny commemorative wall plaque within.

Strategically places seats provide resting places throughout the magnificent walled garden at Coughton

Leading off from the central rose labyrinth, you'll find the Red and White Gardens, surrounded by hornbeam hedges with 'window' peepholes, giving visitors a glance of what's within - 'hot' herbaceous borders, with bold displays of cannas, dahlias and lobelias in the former and an oasis of calm in the latter, featuring white clematis and other subtly shaded perennials. Remember to look back as you walk through this part of the garden, as there's many notable vistas. Curved allees create climbing frames for the plants and you there are strategically placed seats to sit and admire the view.

"Curved allees create climbing frames for the plants"

Not surprisingly, the walled garden can get very crowded in high summer, so wander further afield and enjoy the bog garden and riverside walk (glorious in springtime when the daffodils are in flower), and slightly further afield, Philip's Garden - a densely shaded area, filled with water-loving plants - primula, iris, hellebore and fern - named after its Harrogate horticulturalist creator, Philip Swindells. There are also two churches within the grounds here at Coughton - St Peter's with its fine collection of Throckmorton monuments and the smaller Catholic church, which is in need of restoration.

The gardens at Coughton have been created during the last two decades by a Throckmorton family member

As you wander through the gardens, it's hard to believe that there was nothing here of note just 20 years ago and that work was further hampered by a huge flood in 2007, when the water flooded not just the gardens, but the entire ground floor of the house. If you're looking for another local property, visit The Master's Garden in Warwick. Coughton Court is open daily (except Monday) from 11.00-17.00. Admission to the garden is just £2.50 if you're a National Trust member, but otherwise £5.90 for adults.

We’d drive to Sunday lunch at Sezincote

First steps in learning how to be a guest

First wood-smoke-scented luxury of life

In the large ambience of a country house...exotic Sezincote!

Stately and strange it stood, the Nabob’s house

Indian without and coolest Greek within...

This is how Sir John Betjeman described the unique property near Cheltenham in his verse autobiography "Summoned by Bells". He used to come here for lunch during his time as an undergraduate at Oxford. And it's certainly one of the most unusual gardens I've visited - with its striking Moghal-style architecture and lovely gardens, well worth making the effort to get to, despite it's restricted opening hours - just two afternoons a week.

View from the house over the chadah bagh, with a pair of elephants which emphasise the Indian theme

The house (top) - with its onion domes, minarets and peacock-tail arches - and the pavilion were designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell for his brother Sir Charles, who worked for the East India Company. Completed in 1805, it was the inspiration for the famous Brighton Pavilion, following a visit by the Prince Regent to Sezincote in 1807. The original gardens were landscaped with input from Humphry Repton, the lesser-known, but more flexible successor to Capability Brown, who helped Samuel source sketches for classic Indian gardens. The classic chadar bagh (top) featuring trees and ponds in front of the house and the pavilion were added by former owner of the property - Lady Kleinwort - in the 1960s.

Brahmin bulls adorn an ornamental bridge at Sezincote

Located near the glorious, but touristy towns of Stow-on-the-World and Moreton-in-Marsh, where you expect to find honey-coloured stone buildings, Sezincote comes as a real surprise because of its marked Indian influence and unusual gardens. The property is approached by an avenue of holm oaks, and over an ornamental Indian bridge - complete with two pairs of Brahmin bulls (above) - overlooking the Snake Pool, which takes its name from the three-headed serpent intertwined with a dead tree stump and the magnificent water gardens (below).

The water gardens below the Snake Pool at Sezincote

The original garden lies to the north of the house and features a chain of inter-connecting pools and streams, lushly planted and fed with water from the top pool with its temple dedicated to the Indian sun god, Surya (below). It was a dull and damp day when I visited, but this didn't detract from the glorious planting and serenity of this magnificent garden. Everywhere you look, there are large-leaved aquatic plants, together with weeping beeches and willows.

The house and garden, like so many others in the area, suffered neglect during World War II, but was brought back to life by Lord and Lady Kleinwort, who purchased the estate in 1944 and started restoring it to its former glory. Today the property is still lived in by their descendants and serves as a family home, but is only open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 2.00 - 6.00. Other notable gardens nearby include Hidcote Manor, Kiftsgate Court, Snowshill Manor and Sudeley Castle.

The hornbeam hedges at Eyrignac

I've been a little slow to post recently, but it's nearly 40C here in France and viewing gardens isn't easy in this heat! But I did get out today to see the gardens at Eyrignac (above) and the amazing gardens of Marqueyssac (below). As I write, the temperatures are still well up over 30C, so I'm going to leave a full post on both these extraordinary topiary gardens until it's a little cooler.

The amazing gardens at Marqueyssac

Pavilion of Tranquility at the Manoir d'Eyrignac near Perigord in France

If you're travelling to the Dordogne in France this summer, there are two very special gardens you shouldn't miss, within a stone's throw of each other - the beautifully manicured garden at the Manoir d'Eyrignac, which has been there for 500 years, and the recently restored gardens at Chateau Marqueyssac, which have been there for more than three centuries, but were nearly lost at the end of the 20th century. With views over some of the most impressive scenery of the Perigord Noir, work is still ongoing there, but when you realise what's already been achieved, you'll be amazed.

Le Manoir d'Eryignac and view over the French Garden and lawn

Eyrignac has been in the same family for 22 generations. The present manor house was rebuilt in the 17th century after its destruction in the Princes' Revolt and although it has always been surrounded by formal gardens, what you see there today is the work of the current owner's father, Gilles Sermadiras, who completely redesigned them in the 1960s. He had no experience in garden design when he embarked on the project, but has created an extraordinary topiary palette using just ten basic species of plants including hornbeam, yew, Mediterranean cypress and apple trees. Today his son, Patrick carries on the tradition at his home, with the help of six gardeners and Eyrignac is recognised as one of the great French gardens.

The hornbeam walk at Eyrignac - each of the buttresses is made of 12 plants

Topiary dates from Roman times and is well documented in history, although it did not become popular in Europe until the 16th century when it was re-introduced for the parterres and terraces of the elite. There is a European Boxwood and Topiary Society and for those of you who are interested in the subject, their website has plenty of information. Meanwhile, I shall return to Eyrignac, where I spent a lovely morning last week. The 10 acres of gardens are immaculately maintained and the focus here is on the discipline of the design. But unlike most great French topiary gardens, there are wide turfed avenues between the carefully crafted shapes, instead of gravel. This gives a real feeling of opulence to the property.

Eyrignac's ornamental pond and reflecting pool is constantly refreshed by a spring in the garden

Le Manoir d'Eyrignac prides itself on being open every single day of the year, although winter opening hours are considerably shorter than summer ones. From May to the end of September, the garden is open daily from 09.30-19.00. You need to go early in the day or later in the afternoon to avoid the intense summer heat (the day I visited it was 38C!), although there is a breeze when you reach the edge of the garden and enjoy the views of the valley below. Entrance fee is 12 Euros for an adult, but it's well worth it and there's an excellent restaurant on site.

The extraordinary topiary shapes at Chateau Marqueyssac

Within an hour's drive, there's another extraordinary garden at Chateau Marqueyssac. This property owes its existence to Bertrand Vernet, an advisor to the French king during the siege of Sarlat in 1692. The gardens came later, when Julian de Cerval arrived here in the second half of the 19th century - he was a military man who came hotfoot from Italy, where he had developed a passion for gardening and planted thousands of box bushes at his newly-acquired estate. But by the 20th century it had fallen into terrible disrepair and it wasn't until the late 1990s that a consortium got together to save the gardens, which are now listed as a National Historical Monument and well on the road to repair.

Restoration work is well under way at the stunning hillside location of Chateau Marqueyssac

Marqueyssac's hilltop position is enviable, and once you've stopped admiring the topiary you can stroll for hours in the grounds enjoying the views of the surrounding countryside, the river below and the impressive array of hilltop castles that this region is famous for. Just 15 years after the gardens were saved from complete ruin, a committed team of gardeners look after more than 150,000 box plants (all clipped by hand), which are ideally suited to the limestone soil here, and are restoring the remainder of the 55-acre grounds to their original glory.

Stroll in the 55 acres of grounds at Marqueyssac and you'll enjoy wonderful views over the Valley of Chateaux

This area of the Dordogne is known as the Valley of the Chateaux and the views from the grounds of Marqueyssac are certainly astounding. Like Eyringnac, these gardens are open every day of the year and although it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area (and deservedly so), there's enough space to enjoy the grounds without feeling jostled by the crowds. Throughout July and August, you can visit on Thursday evenings and enjoy the gardens by candlelight. Entrance here is just 7.50 Euros.

The vegetables in the potager at Villandry are changed twice a year

Once you've been to Villandry, you'll understand the meaning of potager and parterre extraordinaire and all others will pale into insignificance! This amazing chateau near Tours in France has set worldwide standards for others to follow and given a whole new meaning to the concept of potager, or ornamental kitchen garden. It's made up of nine squares of different geometric designs marked out by dwarf box hedges, filled with colour-coordinated vegetables. But these are no ordinary vegetables - they're a work of art - changed twice a year to make sure that the show never dwindles.

The chateau at Villandry is surrounded by a series of canals and terraces

Home of the Carvallo family since 1906, the man who purchased the chateau - Dr Joachim Carvallo - spent nearly 20 years creating his Renaissance-style garden in 12 acres of grounds, using existing canals and terraces around the ancient chateau. The result is nothing short of remarkable and Villandry draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Yet Joachim had actually recreated the very style of garden that would have existed here in the 16th century when the potager, or kitchen garden was a an absolute necessity if the castle residents were to survive.

The potager looks spectacular throughout the year and is peppered with ornamental vegetables to give colour

Villandry occupies a fine position overlooking the River Cher and despite being one of the most popular tourist attractions in this part of France, both the village and the chateau grounds have managed to retain much of their original character. On entry to the grounds, you find the potager, which looks spectacular throughout the year, because it contains not just vegetables - two crops, designed to impress in both spring and summer - but also perennials, to give an impressive colour palette in each of the nine squares. Some of the vegetables are chosen because of their ornamental properties - ruby chard, lettuces and multi-coloured cabbages - but the overall effect is quite awesome.

The atmosphere at Villandry is serene, yet the logistics of managing this estate are awe inspiring!

Perhaps the most striking feature of the potager here is not just its perfection, but the fact that there are no huge signs warning you to keep out or not touch, just ropes ensuring that you don't walk through the symmetrical squares. You can walk along the main axes and view the garden from above, but you don't get the feeling that you're being prevented from enjoying the spectacle. And this is part of the charm of Villandry - the whole atmosphere is serene and surreal, yet any gardener will realise that the logistics of managing and maintaining a flawless garden like this are not just complex, but awe inspiring!

The parterre at Villandry is magnificent - and is laid out as a Garden of Love and a Garden of Crosses

Once you've managed to pluck yourself away from the potager, there's plenty more to enjoy including the higher terraces at the rear of the chateau, which contain the formal flower gardens that flow around two sides of the potager and include a magnificent and immaculately clipped parterre, filled with annuals to give colour. The parterre is divided into two areas - the Garden of Love, adjacent to the chateau, with all its heart shaped compartments and the Garden of Crosses (above). The best views are from within, but the heat of the day and huge numbers of visitors meant that I had to photograph from the garden, although the overall impression is no less spectacular.

The Water Garden adds another dimension to the spectacle at Villandry

And once you've enthused over the potager and the parterre, there's another level to the garden, where the tempo is different again. Known as the Water Garden, this area has a huge pool at its centre, surrounded by formal lawns and smaller, circular pools with fountains and clipped box in planters, all surrounded by a pleached lime walk, which gives shade during the heat of the day. The most recent addition to the garden at Villandry is the Garden of the Sun, created by the present owner, who is the great grandson of Joachim Carvallo, just four years ago. It comprises two rooms - one for the sun and the other for the clouds - each reflecting a different colour palette.

Part of the charm of the chateau garden is that you can see the neighbouring village behind the hedges

Of all the gardens, I've seen this year, Villandry is the one that took my breath away! It's not just that it's spectacular, but it's also immaculately maintained and offers an extraordinary insight into how a garden can be managed behind the scenes, so that the visitor can stroll at leisure and enjoy a natural spectacle, without the trappings of Disney. I cannot imagine how many gardeners are required to maintain this beautiful property, but priced at just 6.50 Euros for entrance to the gardens, this has to be one of the best-value tourist attractions in Europe. Like Eyrignac and Marqueyssac, it is open every day of the year. Certainly worth making a special trip to see!

"Bridge over Troubled Water" - the winning garden at the shower-soaked Hampton Court Flower Show this year

We all know that the British are good at queuing and talking about the weather, but as August draws to a close, it's official. It's been the wettest summer (June, July and August) since records began in 1912. No wonder our roses are looking battered and our gardens are looking sad. And as for the queues - they simply haven't been there this year - not in the gardens, nor at the NGS openings, nor at the numerous flower shows around the country. Most of us saw a little sunshine at RHS Chelsea, but got soaked at Hampton Court and perhaps the Best Show Garden should have been called "Bridge over Rising Water" if we'd known what was to come!

Ian Hamilton Finlay's extraordinary garden at Little Sparta looks wonderful in rain or shine

Events were cancelled all over the country because of the rain and local councils nationwide stopped cutting the verges, although I'm assured that this was part of the cutback plans during the recession, rather than anything to do with the weather. Reports state that both umbrella and wellington boot sales are up, and wet weather gear has enjoyed a real boom, which is hardly surprising when you consider that we've had 366.8 millimetres of rain across the UK of rain since the beginning of June, just 18 millimetres short of when records began in 1912. But this is a very different story to the one we were told earlier in the year, when the dread was in the threatened drought.

Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire has had a .... million makeover and looks wonderful in all weather

I've certainly spent more time with water running down my neck than ever before! And as the relentless rain has poured down and I've looked out of my window in search of a tiny bit of blue sky, I've sat glued to the Met Office weather forecasts and set out in search of sunshine when it promised to appear. Although it has to be said that on a few occasions, the wet weather paid dividends, like the day I visited Little Sparta in Scotland, arriving at the end of a huge downpour and enjoying the garden there in the aftermath of rain, where every leaf sparkled. The same was true at Hidcote, where there wasn't a soul to be seen in the sodden, but glorious garden.

Tatton Park - one of many gardens I've visited in rain this year, but been unable to publish due to poor photographs

This was the year where we started out with a heatwave in March, and ambled into April listening to dire warnings about drought; yet the moment we were threatened with hosepipe bans the rain started; and it never stopped. The countryside soon turned into a sodden landscape, where car parks closed and those of us who ventured out to visit gardens had to don our wellingtons to squelch across soaking lawns to view muddy borders. I've ventured north, south, east and west in search of new gardens, but rarely managed to take sufficiently good photographs to include with my entries. Most were rain speckled and grey, as was the author at the end of many of my visits.

Villandry, which has put the "P" in potager worldwide - visited in clear blue skies earlier this month

I've had better luck in France this year, where I've had the incredible fortune to visit some of the great topiary gardens, including Eyriganc and Marqueyssac, the incredible potager at Villandry, and to strike lucky with a sunny days at Giverny (where the head gardener is English) and Le Bois des Moutiers (the famous Lutyens house and garden). But even though I love the French gardens, I'd rather be at home, writing about our own. So as August draws to a close, I'm hoping for sunny September days so I can catch up on some of those gardens I've missed this year, as they don their autumn mantels in preparation for the winter.

For more garden visit ideas, click here

Great Dixter is looking absolutely wonderful at the moment - especially the Exotic Garden - so get there if you can this month to see vibrant colours and bursting borders! Open every day except Monday from 11.00 - 17.00. Garden admission is £8.25 (adult); £4.40 for children.

Great Dixter remains open until 28 October, but it's good to visit at any time during the open season. For spring pictures, click here, and for late autumn pictures, click here. And if you want to attend a day course on Exotic Gardening on Monday, 24th September, with head gardener, Fergus Garrett, check out the Dixter website. The annual plant fair takes place on the weekend of 6th and 7th October, from 11.00-16.00.

Still looking good in September - after all the rain this summer - is Sissinghurst Castle, former home of Vita Sackville West and one of the most visited properties in Britain. Also one of the most photographed gardens in the UK, especially the tower above. Sissinghurst isn't actually a castle, but rather a manor house with a tall tower. But the "Castle" has stuck and Harold Nicholson and his wife Vita were more than happy to inhabit this particular home. And we all know the adage: "An Englishman's home is his castle"!

Climb to the top of the tower on a clear September day and you'll have a better view of the garden than you'll ever get on the ground. Look out over the whole property from above and you'll see why Sissinghurst is famous for its garden "rooms".

Bird's eye view of The Rose Garden at Sissinghurst

Famous for its cottage garden (below) and fine views over the surrounding Kent countryside, the house is still lived in part time by Vita Sackville West's grandson, who's married to well-known garden writer - Sarah Raven, who has her own garden nearby.

View of the Cottage Garden at Sissinghurst

But the garden room that's most popular at Sissinghurst is the White Garden (below) - already a little blousy at this time of year, but a concept that's inspired gardeners worldwide. Close enough to Great Dixter to combine the two in a day and compare the two very different planting styles of Vita Sackville West and Christopher Lloyd.

View of the White Garden from the top of the tower at Sissinghurst

Climb the tower to get the most of Sissinghurst, although it can be a little busy. You'll get away from the crowds on the ground and enjoy a bird's eye view! Open five days a week from 10.30-17.30 (closed Wednesday and Thursday) although entry is a whopping £10.40 unless you're a National Trust member. With membership costing just £53 a year, you'd be well advised to join, so that you can wander through all their other celebrated garden properties including Hidcote Manor (£9.05), Mottisfont Abbey (£8.10), Nymans (£9.00), Polesden Lacey (£10.80) and Wakehurst Place (£12.00). One visit to each of these gardens and you've already paid your annual membership fee!

Head to Gravetye Manor for lunch if you can - the garden is glorious, as is the food

The children are back at school, the sun's shining and what better way to see a glorious garden than combining it with lunch with a girlfriend? England has more than its fair share of gardens with lunch attached and in the first of several features on hotels and restaurants that have wonderful gardens associated with them, I'm starting my journey at Gravetye Manor in Sussex. This is the former home of William Robinson, who championed naturalistic planting and had a profound influence on British gardening

Tom Coward has won the battle against bindweed at Gravetye Manor

Head gardener, Tom Coward - who arrived here from Great Dixter two years ago, has breathed new life into this glorious garden and, after a long battle against the bindweed, the grounds at Gravetye are well on their way to recovery and I'm sure William Robinson would be in awe of his 21st century compatriot's work. The Flower Garden is a riot of colour throughout the seasons and with the Elizabethan manor house as a backdrop and a gourmet restaurant, lunch doesn't get much better than this in terms of location.

The flower garden at Gravetye is spectacular throughout the seasons

This was the home of leading garden theorist and writer, William Robinson (1838-1935), who moved here in 1885 and remained here until his death. Robinson was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, was a friend of Gertrude Jekyll's and came into contact with William Morris, who much admired his work. He was a passionate gardener and prolific writer, who launched the original weekly journal "The Garden" in 1871 (not to be confused with the monthly RHS publication, The Garden - which goes out to members today) and two major gardening books: "The Wild Garden" and "The English Flower Garden" which remain in print today. Other well-known gardens for which he is credited are Hergest Croft in Herefordshire and Killerton in Devon.

Gravetye's kitchen garden has circular walls

Feast your eyes on the Flower Garden before lunch and then head for the walled kitchen garden afterwards - Tom has transformed this part of the garden too in the time that he's been here and you'll be greeted with wonderful displays of cutting flowers and vegetables that promise to rival the potager at Villandry if they're given the chance! It's early days for this part of the garden, since it was only revitalised in the last couple of years, but if the results to date are anything to go by, this is a plot worth watching.

Most of the cutting flowers for the hotel are grown in Gravetye's kitchen garden

The kitchen garden is unique because it has circular walls - the only one of its kind in the UK

- designed to maximise on catching the heat of the sun, and extensive work has already been carried out. It's a wonderful sight at this time of year - filled with flowers and vegetables. All the flowers for the Manor are grown here, together with many of the basics for the kitchen including herbs and a range of vegetables. But it's a magnificent sight on a sunny day, so don't miss it when you visit.

Vegetables and flowers in the kitchen garden promise to rival the display at Villandry

If you fancy the high life, it's well worth knowing about the Gravetye Member's Club, priced at £150 per person or £200 for a couple, which includes a night at the hotel, together with themed lunches and dinners that will appeal to both gardening enthusiasts and foodies. Tom Coward hosts special garden visits for members and it's a great chance to stay overnight at the hotel at a substantially reduced rate. One to add to your Christmas "Wish List" perhaps?

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Rodmarton Manor was designed and built as a country retreat for the Biddulph family

Many English gardens are classified as "Arts and Crafts" style, but in reality, they're either poor copies, or capitalising on the popular style to attract visitors. But Rodmarton Manor, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is the genuine article. Both house and garden were conceived and built at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement, using traditional methods, locally sourced materials and with skilled craftsmen working on site. Today the house remains in the ownership of family that built it and the gardens are open to the public throughout the summer months for all to enjoy.

View of the manor and the Winter Garden from the Leisure Garden

The house was designed and built for Claud and Margaret Biddulph at the turn of the 20th century. They originally wanted a small country retreat and although work started in 1909, the outbreak of war meant that it was not finished until nearly 20 years later, and it grew into a substantial family home. The Biddulphs commissioned local architect Ernest Barnsley to design the house for them and he also planned the garden, although credit for the planting must go to William Scrubey, who was head gardener there at the time. Much of the planting there today survives from 100 years ago, especially the hedging and topiary, although the borders (see below) were replanted in the 1990s.

Topiary and herbaceous borders seen from the summer house

The Biddulphs were firm believers in supporting the local community and wanted to support and revive rural crafts. They stuck firmly to their principles throughout the construction of their home - the workforce was local; the stone was quarried nearby; and the timber was felled and seasoned on the estate. If you take a tour of the house, you will see many fine examples of local craftsmanship in the furniture, the staircases, the fire surrounds and the panelling. The result is remarkable and although they had never intended to build such a large home, it just evolved.

The Jekyll-style herbaceous borders (looking towards the summer house) were replanted in the 1990s

Both the manor and its eight-acre garden are fine examples of Arts and Crafts style at its best. You approach the property along a drive of immaculately-clipped hedges, and the garden is a series of outdoor rooms, each with its own particular character, but punctuated with a pergola, small sunken garden, clipped box topiary and brightly-coloured borders. but all in harmony with the house. This was the main ideal of the Arts and Crafts movement in gardening terms - to provide an extension of the house, rather than a separate entity, so the garden blends into the overall feel of the property. Nowhere else in England has it been as skilfully achieved as Rodmarton.

The Trough Garden is filled with immaculately-clipped box topiary and stone animal troughs

On arrival at the manor you walk into the gardens at the side of the house and stroll through the Leisure and Winter gardens, which lead onto the Trough Garden (above), so called because of all the animal feeding and drinking troughs. The formal topiary is the strongest feature of this part of the garden and much of the box here is part of the original planting. At the front of the house you have a terrace, the sunken garden and a typical Arts and Crafts style stone pergola (below), covered with a rampant Vitis cognetti. Each of these garden areas is very different in style, but they provide a cohesive whole and various elements including the stone walls which divide the different areas are found throughout the garden.

Pergola covered with Vitis cognetti - just beginning to don its autumn colours

Elsewhere you will find the cherry orchard, planted in the late 1950s, a rockery and croquet lawn, a wild garden leading onto open farmland and a magnificent kitchen garden, filled with vegetables, fruit and flowers for cutting. But perhaps the most charming place to sit and reflect is the summer house (below) with its views over the long borders. The Biddulph family still live at Rodmarton Manor three generations after the house was built and are committed to keeping both house and garden alive. This garden is definitely worth making a special trip to see, as is the house.

Rodmarton's charming summer house looks out over the Jekyll-style borders

Rodmarton Manor gardens are undoubtedly the jewel in the Arts and Crafts crown and if you want to see the style for yourself head to Gloucestershire on a Wednesday or Saturday from the beginning of May to the end of September - the gardens are open from 14.00-17.00 and entry is just £5.00 for the gardens (£8.00 to include the house). Also open for snowdrops in the winter and on Bank Holiday Mondays throughout the season. Check website for details. Other gardens worth visiting nearby include Misarden Park and Painswick Rococo.

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The Queen's Norfolk home - Sandringham - has a fantastic collection of trees

I've just returned from two days in Norfolk visiting gardens and I've got many lovely treats in store for readers in the next few weeks - from the gardens of Sandringham (above), where the Queen spends as much time as she can, to the amazing acreage at East Ruston, where I was really impressed by the Exotic Garden (below).

Norfolk has some really spectacular gardens. I've visited six this week and will be featuring most of them in the next fortnight. I was really wowed by Houghton Hall; spent many hours at Sandringham admiring the trees; fell in love with the moated gardens at Hindringham Hall, and enjoyed the variety at East Ruston Old Vicarage.

The Waterflame fountain at Houghton Hall in Norfolk

Blessed with good, autumnal weather and the special light that comes with the equinox, I've got many new gardens to share with readers in the next few weeks. The Water Flame at Houghton Hall (above) is particularly impressive, as are the lakes and vistas at Sandringham; but so too are the moated gardens at Hindringham Hall (below).

Sandringham House in West Norfolk, with its 60 acres of formal gardens and parkland, at the heart of a 20,000-acre estate, is not just a country retreat for the Queen and her family, but also opens to the public for seven months of the year, providing a royal landscape for all to enjoy. The formal garden to the north of the house was designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe; William Broderick Thomas created the sweeping lawns and lakes; and the Woodland Walk, famous for its rhododendron displays in May is the work of Sir Eric Savill, former head gardener at another much-loved royal landscape in Surrey – the Savill Garden.

Sixty acres of parkland and lakes surround Sandringham in Norfolk

The emphasis at Sandringham is on the landscape. It's a delightful place to walk and there are huge open spaces and many fine specimen trees; a charming formal garden designed specially for King George VI so he could see it from his rooms in the house; acres of impeccably kept lawn and a walled kitchen garden that provided all the vegetables for the royal kitchens in days gone by and which now opens to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the season. Sadly, I was there on the wrong day to see it.

The formal garden at Sandringham designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe

This country retreat has been a favourite with the Royal Family favourite since its purchase in 1862 by Queen Victoria, although she bought it to lure the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) away from the temptations of London! The large lawns are studded by memorial oaks that she planted, and King Edward VII came to love Sandringham and its landscape so much that he's reputed to have said that, given a choice of career, he would have become a landscape gardener. Today Sandringham is where the Royal Family spend Christmas and it is from here that the Queen makes her annual speech on December 25th.

The formal gardens with house in the background - King Edward VII loved this view

The gardens at Sandringham are designed to have different highlights throughout the year, starting with a burst of colour in springtime with all the bulbs; followed by spectacular camellia and rhododendron displays; in summertime the trees and the lakes are the focal point of the estate, and there is a well trodden circular walk that visitors can enjoy, so they see the house and grounds from many different vantage points. In autumn, it's the changing colours that delight a rapt audience who wish to follow in royal footsteps. But in winter, the house and grounds revert to its owners, who enjoy a spell of privacy over the festive season.

The church at Sandringham, where the Queen and her family attend a Christmas service

Definitely a garden to visit if you're in this part of Norfolk - particularly if you're interested in trees. I saw some here that I couldn't even identify! Open daily from April until the end of October, from 10.30-17.00. Admission to the gardens and museum is £8.00 for adults and £4.50 for children (free to RHS members). There is a £2.50 supplement for the guided tours - available on Wednesdays and Fridays - which are walking tours of either the Woodland, Water or Walled gardens.

Bronze statue of Persimmon - a British racing legend - outside the Sandringham Stud

Houghton Hall was built for Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole

Houghton Hall in Norfolk is regarded as one of the finest Palladian houses in Britain. It also holds some surprises for garden visitors because the current Marquis of Cholmondeley has turned the five-acre walled garden into a showpiece that thrills visitors throughout the summer season. It features miles of immaculately-clipped serpentine hedging and a fountain that flames - no mean feat for a man who found gardening "boring" when he first arrived here in 1989! Although he was no stranger to gardening because he grew up at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire, where his mother has created another impressive landscape.

The Italian garden

The house has a long history and was built for the current Marquess' ancestor Sir Robert Walpole - Britain's first prime minister - and was also home to his grandmother, Sybil, who was a prominent society hostess. He grew up at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire, where his mother created another remarkable garden that opens to the public, so when he arrived at Houghton, plans were drawn up with the help of his head gardener, Paul Underwood (who has now moved on to Blickling Hall), to redesign the dilapidated walled garden.

Rustic temple designed by the Bannermans, adorned with antlers

Julian and Isabel Bannerman (who created the Collector Earl's Garden at Arundel Castle and the water garden at Woolbeding House) were called in to help with the structural redesign in 2003, and their style is very much apparent in some of the more theatrical elements of the garden, like the rustic temple adorned with antlers (above) and the grotto fountain where water spills from giant clam shells. The garden has continued to evolve over the last decade and there's a potager, a formal rose parterre, a croquet lawn - open to guests - a Mediterranean garden, Italian garden and laburnum garden.

The Water Flame, designed by Danish artist, Jeppe Hain where flame erupts from the fountain

The 7th Marquess has also invested in a collection of modern art, including the remarkable Water Flame (above) by Jeppe Hain - a fountain that actually flames! There's a lot to see in the five acres, divided into several themed areas, using dense yew hedging to give protection against the Norfolk winds. A plan at the entrance (left) illustrates how the garden has been divided into four quarters of equal proportions, with a strong central axis, running north to south, featuring flower borders - with "hot" colours at one end and "cold" at the other. At the entrance you have the Italian garden, featuring rows of pleached limes and a large obelisk. Behind this is the kitchen garden, which includes espaliered fruit, a potager, a traditional orchard and a herb garden.

The Mediterranean garden with its large central pond and box parterre

Each quarter of the garden stands as a separate entity and you wander between them, returning to the central flower border axis to get your bearings, before moving on to another area. The third quarter includes the Mediterranean garden with a large central pond and fountain surrounded by a box parterre (above), which is opposite the startlingly simple Laburnum garden (below), where the Water Flame is the eye catching centrepiece. This quarter also houses the croquet lawn, where guests are invited to play if they feel like it.

The fourth quarter of the walled garden houses the magnificent Rose garden with its arbors and sunken fountain area, against a backdrop of undulating and immaculately-clipped serpentine yew hedging, reminiscent of a giant Loch Ness monster. The design here is taken from the ceiling of the White Drawing Room in the main house. The roses are a combination of old-fashioned shrub varieties, modern, repeat flowering species and ramblers - all carefully selected to give a good display throughout the season.

The Rose garden replicates the design of the White Drawing Room in the Hall

Add to this the colourful borders and the restored glasshouses, where you'll find lemon trees and exotic orchids growing, and there's a lot to look at within the walls of the former kitchen garden. The Hall is also open, but not in the mornings, and there are six other major artworks in the grounds adjacent to the Hall, including a Cornish slate circle by Richard Long. But you cannot access the house or inner gardens until 13.30. Elsewhere in the 450 acres of grounds you will see hundreds of deer - memorable because they are white - and a church used by both residents of the hall and those who live on the estate.

Immaculately-clipped serpentine hedges divide the walled garden and provide protection from the wind

Houghton Hall is open from April until the end of September, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays - 11.30-17.00. Admission to the garden is £7.00 for adults and £2.50 for children (free to HHA members). The house is also open to the public, but not until 13.30. Located in the same part of Norfolk as the Queen's Christmas retreat at Sandringham House and Pensthorpe, (where the Millennium Garden was designed by Piet Oudolf) you've got a glut of exceptional gardens to visit locally!

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First view of Kelmscott Manor, described by William Morris as "heaven on earth"

Kelmscott Manor in Gloucestershire was the country home of William Morris and no Arts & Crafts aficionado can afford to miss this one, even though most visitors come to see the house rather than the garden. Many people make a special pilgrimage to this property because of its connection with the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the garden has all the hallmarks - a vine-clad pergola, tiled summer house and stone-flagged pathways - but the magic is here, and it would be harder to find a more perfect country idyll - the very reason that Morris chose it.

The garden at Kelmscott Manor bears all the hall marks of the Arts & Crafts movement

William Morris lived here from 1871 until his death in 1896 - he was a poet, calligrapher, printer, lecturer, writer, craftsman and above all a pattern designer - and when he first saw the property, he completely fell in love with it. Enclosed by high walls and divided by hedges, which was his ideal for a garden (see below), he wrote to his great friend Charley Faulkner in the May that he saw it, saying that he had found "heaven on earth". And in the last 25 years of his life, he wrote constantly about his home, because it symbolised the perfect lifestyle to him.

No Arts & Crafts garden would be complete without a vine-clad pergola

Morris had no idea what a profound influence he would have on gardening in the post-Victorian era, but once wrote: "Large or small, it (the garden) should be orderly and rich. It should be well fenced from the outside world. It should by no means imitate either the wilfulness or the wildness or Nature, but should look like a thing never to be seen except near the house. It should in fact, look like a part of the house." And it is this credo that came to be reflected in later examples of Arts & Crafts gardens.

The Lawn Garden stands on the site of the former kitchen garden

Kelmscott is an Elizabethan manor house at the heart of a tiny Cotswold village, yet it has become a shrine to William Morris. After his death his daughter May continued to live here for a further forty years and she bequeathed it to the University of Oxford. The garden was eventually restored in the 1990s under the stewardship of well-known garden designer, Hal Moggridge, who was committed to making a garden that was representative of Morris' ideas, based on paintings and drawings that survived from his collections.

The garden is completely surrounded by stone walls and the entrance (top) bears a close resemblance to the drawing on the frontispiece of Morris' "News from Nowhere" (below left), published in 1892. A flagstone path flanked with roses runs across the lawn to the front door and there is a curious topiary dragon to the side of the house, shaped by William Morris himself - the 'Fafnir' of his Icelandic poems. The Lawn Garden at the rear of the house was once a kitchen garden, and it is here you'll find the pergola of coppiced chestnut. There is also an orchard, replanted with traditional Victorian varieties of apple an plum.

Kelmscott Manor is now owned and run by the Society of Antiquaries, who took over the running of the property when the University of Oxford could no longer raise sufficient income from renting out the manor house. It undertook all the major restoration work at the manor, with the help of William Morris' own Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The house has been preserved just as Morris left it and is filled with his furniture and fabric designs.

It is only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from April to the end of October (11.00-17.00) and admission to the house is restricted by numbers when it's busy. Cost is £9.00 for adults and £4.50 for students/children. Free to HHA members. Well worth combining with a visit to Rodmarton Manor if you are in the area, since it is a short drive away and is definitely one of the finest Arts and Crafts gardens in the UK. Another good example is Snowshill Manor, which is also within easy reach.

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RHS Hyde Hall in Essex - open to all for free this coming Friday, 5th October

We're always accused of talking about the weather here in England, but as we say goodbye to September, I'm sorry to say that the long-awaited Indian summer never arrived and there are many parts of the country that have suffered more torrential rain and floods. Our gardens are looking sad and jaded after a long summer of rain and the leaves are turning on the trees, so hopefully we'll be treated to some spectacular autumn colours next month. But mark this coming Friday in your diary, rain or shine, because the RHS is opening all four of its gardens around the country for free!

The Exotic Garden at Great Dixter is still looking good despite the wettest summer on record

But I was lucky enough to see the sun on several occasions, especially early in the month and used those bright days to visit some of the notable gardens here in England - Great Dixter, where Fergus Garrett puts on a fantastic show throughout the year, and where the Exotic Garden was looking particularly good (open until the end of October so still time to visit this year, if you want to catch the autumn colours), Gravetye Manor, one-time home of William Robinson, where head gardener, Tom Coward is doing a fantastic job bringing the garden back to life (Tom came here from Great Dixter and certainly knows what he's doing after working with Fergus for a few years); and Sissinghurst, which always looks great from the top of the tower.

Tom Coward has breathed new life into the garden at Gravetye Manor in Sussex

My travels also took me in search of some new gardens in Gloucestershire and Norfolk. I managed to visit the greatest Arts and Crafts garden in the country - Rodmarton Manor in Gloucestershire, and paid homage to William Morris at his one-time home - Kelmscott Manor - a must-see for all Morris fans, although it's the house rather than the garden that deserves the praise.

Rodmarton Manor has the finest Arts and Crafts garden in the country

And, having poured over the weather maps for the first part of the month, I managed to get up to see some of the great Norfolk gardens for the first time. The weather was cold, but sunny and I was treated to two days of stunning blue skies as a backdrop to the grounds at Sandringham House (where the Queen spends Christmas every year) and Houghton Hall, with its amazing five-acre walled garden. Other garden properties I visited in Norfolk were equally impressive, but I haven't had time to write them up yet.

There's always something to see in the glasshouses at RHS Wisley, even if it's raining!

As I write the weather's not looking too good for October, but I'm planning to visit some of the beautiful gardens famous for their autumn colours (plus umbrella and wellingtons). But if you want a real weather buster, it's well worth noting that all the RHS gardens - Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor and Wisley are opening their doors for free this coming Friday, 5th October. If you're not an RHS member, and you live anywhere near the gardens, do take advantage of this special day, because you can see for yourself just how amazing they are!

The Eden Project is one of Britain's top 10 visitor attractions

Britain has some of the best and most innovative glasshouses in the world, and with winter around the corner, it's well-worth bearing them in mind for days out when garden visits are impossible, due to bad weather or lack of winter colour. The Eden Project in Cornwall has received accolades the world over since it opened in 2001. It was the brainchild of Tim Smit of Lost Gardens of Heligan fame - who came up with the idea of converting disused china clay quarries into a magnificent garden under glass. But few believed the project costing £86 million, would actually go ahead. But it did and today it's one of the top ten visitor attractions in Britain and one of the top garden sites in the world.

The Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project is taller than the Statue of Liberty

The greenhouses, called biomes, look like huge golf balls rising out of the ground and the larger of the two - the Rainforest Biome (above) - is kept at 90% humidity and an average temperature of 75F (24C). With a height of 50 metres, the Rainforest structure could house the Tower of London and is taller than the Statue of Liberty. It's filled with lush vegetation throughout the year and part of the wonder of the interior is the the hexagonal panels towering above you. I haven't visited for years, but my son was there in June and said it's one of the most amazing sights he's seen. Open everyday of the year (except 24 and 25 December). Entry prices start at £19.50 for adults, for annual membership, children free.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales has the largest single-span glasshouse structure in the world

Another new Millennium garden that boasts the largest single-span glasshouse structure anywhere in the world can be found at the National Botanic Garden of Wales which opened its doors in 2000. It faced huge opposition when it was first conceived, but has stood the test of time and is now one of Wales' most popular tourist attractions and deservedly so. It's divided into five different climate regions and features plants from each. Certainly impressive from the outside and you'll be amazed by what's growing within! Open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day) from 10.00. Really good value as admission is just £8.50 for adults and £4.50 for children.

The Palm House at Kew Gardens houses a collection of trees and plants from all over the world

Londoners are lucky enough to be able to stroll around the glasshouses at Kew to beat the winter blues - the Palm House (above) took four years to build and was completed in 1848. It's a Grade I listed building, is divided into three geographical areas and houses an exotic collection of foreign trees and plants from all over the globe. Although this is the largest of the glass structures at Kew, there are seven other glasshouses, including the Temperate House, which is the world's largest surviving Victorian greenhouse. Open year round (except 24 and 25 December), from 9.30, admission is £16.00 for adults. Annual members of Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire get free entry.

The annual Butterfly Exhibition at RHS Wisley delights all age groups - well worth catching in January

Just outside London, the glasshouse at RHS Wisley is a real winter wonderland. Opened in 2004 to mark the bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society, it houses three different climate zones - tropical, moist temperate and dry temperate - and covers an area equal to 10 tennis courts. There's always something on show here and it's particularly memorable during the Butterfly Exhibition in January. But if they've flown, there's always a fine collection of plants on show, particularly the orchids. Open every day except 25 December, from 10.00 during the week and 9.00 at weekends. Admission is £10.50 for adults and £4.50 for children. Free to RHS members. Free to all this Friday, 5th October!

The Kibble Palace glasshouse in Glasgow houses a magnificent collection of Australasian tree ferns.

The recently restored circular Kibble Palace glasshouse at Glasgow Botanic Garden is home to one of the largest collections of tree ferns in the UK. Recently restored at a cost of several million pounds, it's an impressive sight, both inside and out and you can expect to find many unusual exotics in flower here whenever you visit. Most of the Australasian ferns were brought here in the mid-19th century. Open daily throughout the year from 10.00 and free to visitors!

The house at Alfabia is built round a courtyard, featuring a huge plane tree

It would be easy to miss the Jardines de Alfabia in Mallorca, because they are sited right at the entrance to the tunnel that connects Palma to the sleepy town of Soller on the North West corner of the island. Historic references indicate that this was once the home of the Arabic Viceroy of the island. But they are certainly a fine example of Moorish garden design, where the emphasis is on water and irrigation and are well worth stopping in to see if you're passing this way and want an excursion that doesn't include sea, sand or water sports.

The stepped walled garden leads to the highest part of the garden

These charming gardens are being restored - very slowly - and with temperatures hovering around the 30C mark even at the beginning of October, you see the gardeners at work with a decidedly "manana" approach. These gardens are a rare remnant of Moorish civilisation on the island, and if it's gardens you're after during your Balearic stay, they provide a much better alternative to the rather disappointing Botanic Garden at Soller.

The water cistern supplies water to the pergola

You access the gardens through a fine avenue of plane trees and head towards the main facade of the house (top) before veering off to the left and entering a stepped walled garden, with compartmentalised planting and fine examples of Moorish irrigation channels. To the side of this garden, you'll get a fine view of the Tramuntana mountains, across the water cistern (above), which supplies the water to the pergola.

The pergola (above) has 72 columns, and at the lower end, the stone walls are adorned with 24 stone hydras (12 at each side), which are the source of the water jets that once immortalised this garden. But they weren't working when I visited and my limited Spanish was insufficient to find out when they do, although I suspect that a summer of severe drought may well be the explanation.

From the pergola, you can access the later additions to the garden at the rear of the house. It is here that you find the arbor and the nineteenth-century garden that clearly shows the influence of Italian design, with the large water pools (left) and English design with the planting - designed to give shade during the heat of the day.

What is apparent at Alfabia is that there's a substantial investment in replanting, although it's clearly with a view to making the gardens more attractive, rather than restoring them to their original planting design. There are a huge number of new cycads and other architectural plants which will eventually give structure to the garden. Local friends who visited with me were amazed by the progress that's been made here in the last five years. It's a charming place and very restful, and there's certainly a fine collection of local palms. Open Monday to Saturday (9.30-18.30), from 1st April to 31st October. Entry is 6.50 Euros for adults. Certainly worth a detour and a good place to catch your breath and retreat from the heat for an hour or two.

The trees are donning their autumn colours, so I'm off visiting gardens.

Hidcote Manor - Paradise Lost and Found

Kiftsgate Court - a credit to three generations of gardening women

Coughton Court - an ancient house with notable 20th century garden

"Exotic Sezincote! Stately and strange ..."

Almost Tuesday topiary preview .... Eyrignac and Marqueyssac

Great topiary gardens of the Dordogne - Eyrignac and Marqueyssac

Villandry - is this the world's most perfect potager? When vegetables are an art form and food provokes thought!

UK suffers from wettest summer in 100 years! Where did the drought go for British gardeners?

Sizzling September at Great Dixter! Late summer garden visits

September Garden Highlights - Sissinghurst Castle

Gardens for "Ladies who Lunch" - Gravetye Manor

Rodmarton Manor - definitely the jewel in Britain's "Arts and Crafts" garden crown!

Thursday taster ... Norfolk gardens

Following in royal footsteps at Sandringham House, Norfolk

Houghton Hall, Norfolk - where flaming fountains and serpentine hedges abound!

Kelmscott Manor - home of William Morris. A house and garden no Arts and Crafts aficionado can afford to miss!

Goodbye sultry September - Autumn's on the way, so don't miss the great RHS garden freebie this coming Friday!

Head for Britain's greatest glasshouses to beat the autumn blues!

Gardens of Alfabia - a Moorish surprise in Mallorca

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is in flower"