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Hidcote Manor - Paradise Lost and Found
Hidcote Manor has undergone a £3.5 million renovation programme since the MillenniumI first visited Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire a couple of years ago on a hot summer morning in June. It was...
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Kiftsgate Court - a credit to three generations of gardening women
First view of the terrace at Kiftsgate Court in early summerGloucestershire has more than its fair share of glorious gardens and if you're making the pilgrimage to Hidcote Manor, you must also visit...
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Coughton Court - an ancient house with notable 20th century garden
Coughton Court - a castellated Tudor manor house and home of the Throckmorton family since 1409You'd be forgiven for thinking that Coughton Court (pronounced 'Coaton') was a small castle, when you...
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"Exotic Sezincote! Stately and strange ..."
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...
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Almost Tuesday topiary preview .... Eyrignac and Marqueyssac
The hornbeam hedges at EyrignacI'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...
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Great topiary gardens of the Dordogne - Eyrignac and Marqueyssac
Pavilion of Tranquility at the Manoir d'Eyrignac near Perigord in FranceIf you're travelling to the Dordogne in France this summer, there are two very special gardens you shouldn't miss, within a...
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Villandry - is this the world's most perfect potager? When vegetables are an...
The vegetables in the potager at Villandry are changed twice a yearOnce you've been to Villandry, you'll understand the meaning of potager and parterre extraordinaire and all others will pale into...
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UK suffers from wettest summer in 100 years! Where did the drought go for...
"Bridge over Troubled Water" - the winning garden at the shower-soaked Hampton Court Flower Show this yearWe all know that the British are good at queuing and talking about the weather, but as August...
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Sizzling September at Great Dixter! Late summer garden visits
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...
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September Garden Highlights - Sissinghurst Castle
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...
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Gardens for "Ladies who Lunch" - Gravetye Manor
Head to Gravetye Manor for lunch if you can - the garden is glorious, as is the foodThe children are back at school, the sun's shining and what better way to see a glorious garden than combining it...
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Rodmarton Manor - definitely the jewel in Britain's "Arts and Crafts" garden...
Rodmarton Manor was designed and built as a country retreat for the Biddulph familyMany English gardens are classified as "Arts and Crafts" style, but in reality, they're either poor copies, or...
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Thursday taster ... Norfolk gardens
The Queen's Norfolk home - Sandringham - has a fantastic collection of treesI've just returned from two days in Norfolk visiting gardens and I've got many lovely treats in store for readers in the next...
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Following in royal footsteps at Sandringham House, Norfolk
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...
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Houghton Hall, Norfolk - where flaming fountains and serpentine hedges abound!
Houghton Hall was built for Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert WalpoleHoughton Hall in Norfolk is regarded as one of the finest Palladian houses in Britain. It also holds some surprises for...
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Kelmscott Manor - home of William Morris. A house and garden no Arts and...
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...
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Goodbye sultry September - Autumn's on the way, so don't miss the great RHS...
RHS Hyde Hall in Essex - open to all for free this coming Friday, 5th OctoberWe're always accused of talking about the weather here in England, but as we say goodbye to September, I'm sorry to say that...
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Head for Britain's greatest glasshouses to beat the autumn blues!
The Eden Project is one of Britain's top 10 visitor attractionsBritain has some of the best and most innovative glasshouses in the world, and with winter around the corner, it's well-worth bearing them...
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Gardens of Alfabia - a Moorish surprise in Mallorca
The house at Alfabia is built round a courtyard, featuring a huge plane treeIt would be easy to miss the Jardines de Alfabia in Mallorca, because they are sited right at the entrance to the tunnel that...
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"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is in flower"
The trees are donning their autumn colours, so I'm off visiting gardens.
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