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Looking for the Best British Garden Tour

24 years ago

Love ROSES and English Gardens! Am researching for

next years' trip, but there are so many ~ how do

I choose?! Sisley, Expo, Boxwood...help!

Would love some feedback. Looking

for higher-end accomodations.

Thanks,

Susan in CA

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Comments (9)

zoohortmmm
24 years ago
If you find a tour that includes Sudley Gardens they have a really outstanding rose garden there.
Vicky Harkness
24 years ago
Susan we found the gardens at Hampton Court and the home of Princess Diana and Prince Charles.It's a Palace but I can't spell it right it starts with a K and is a Place. At both places and I'm not bragging on this but we had no idea we had roses by our last name there.I picked up a small flower book and started looking through it and I found some Harkness Roses in it.The lady behind the counter told us to go around back and she was sure there were some and sure enough they were there and we didn't know it. We found them also in a garden around Windsor Castle I think that was the place as it was where the trian for the royal family comes into. There is a garden there also. The flowers that are around ANN HAYAWAY'S house is beautiful and go to the tea room across the street there are pretty flowers and roses there also. We were there in 98 and we went on a bus tour called Cosmo out of Colorado I think as our travel agent set us up with them. Good luck on your tour, Vicky Harkness
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Oh my gosh! I've been back a week and the tour is still a pleasant green blur in my memory! Here's a list of the gardens we saw during the 8-day tour (all in the SW of England; National Trust properties marked by NT): West Green House, Hampshire (NT) Hinton Ampner, Hampshire (NT) The Manor House at Upton Grey, Hampshire Mottisfont Abbey Gardens, Hampshire (NT) Heale Garden, Wiltshire The Courts, Wiltshire (NT) Iford Manor, Wiltshire (!) Hadspen Garden, Somerset Lytes Cary, Somerset (NT) The Coach House (Penelope Hobhouse's house), Dorset Mapperton, Dorset Forde Abbey, Somerset Montacute House, Somerset (NT, !) Tintinhull, Somerset (NT; P. Hobhouse was once a tenant) Bury Court, Hampshire RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey It would simply take too long to describe each of these gardens, so if anyone wants more particulars, please write me and I'll be happy to share my impressions! You can read about the National Trust properties on the Nat'l Trust website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/default.asp After the tour, some friends and I drove to the Cotswolds to see Kiftsgate Court and Hidcote Manor (NT). Kiftsgate is probably my favorite garden of all (so far), and a must see detour for anyone venturing toward Oxford or Stratford-Upon-Avon. The Kiftsgate Rose (reported to be the largest rose in the UK and which appears poised to take over the country) was blooming like mad! Also highly recommended is dinner at Marshmallows in Moreton-on-Marsh. For the private gardens, Upton Grey was a treat as we were shown round by the owner, Ross Wallinger, who almost singlehandedly restored the original Gertrude Jekyll garden. We also had a personally guided tour by the young head gardener at Heale Garden, and the owner of Bury Court (designed by Piet Oudolf) happily gave us the history of his house and garden. Penelope Hobhouse was just returned from a few weeks in the US and kept apologizing for the state of her back garden (storms had swept through while she was gone). If only I had a garden that looked half as nice as hers, storm or no! She chatted with us then turned us loose to look around (we were the only ones there), while she continued to tidy up the garden in preparation for a village fete the next day. Her influence was obvious at Tintinhull, as well. Montacute is a must for any fan of the movie Sense and Sensibility, as it doubled as the Palmer's residence, where Marianne was taken ill. Several scenes were filmed in the house and on the grounds, which are absolutely delightful. Please write if you want more info! I'm already planning next year's adventure to Scotland!
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Elaine Lawrence
24 years ago
I can recommend 2 areas for garden visiting. Cornwall is our favourite area. You can't go wrong by visiting the many National Trust sites. They do have a web site you can visit. You can also rent properties from them. Some of the best to visit are: Llanydrock, particularly in the spring when the azaleas and rhodedendrons are magnificent, Cothele, Glendurgan, Trelissick. Some others ones are; Trebah, The Lost Gardens of Heligan (magnificent). The Eden project is supposed to be magnificent, 3 large biodomes built over old clay pits each with plants from different temperate zones. We intend to visit this spring.
If you are visiting the Midlands (my home)around the region of Stratford on Avon I would recommend Hidcote Manor Gardens and literally just over the road from there,Kiftsgate Court. Also, Baddesley Clinton, Packwood House, Coughton Court, Warwick Castle, Upton House. There are so many to choose from.
Another recommendation is to visit any of the Royal Horticultural Society sites.
Hope you enjoy your trip.
Regards
Elaine Lawrence
Paul_Roberts
24 years ago
You may be interested in this forum's messages (see useful link).

Sissinghurst in Kent (about an hour from London) has been highly recommended for old roses and I have visited Mottisfont which was excellent and contains Grahan S Thomas's rose collection.

Both are National Trust properties (www.nationaltrust.org.uk)

Here is a link that might be useful: Sissinghurst: Best Gardens in SE England
petaloid
24 years ago
I went on a Coopersmith's tour of southwest England and it was wonderful -- they have three to England this year. The one in May includes the Chelsea Flower Show.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tours
jill_perry_gw
24 years ago
Bill Grant is leading his final tour of English gardens in June. Should be fantastic!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bill's website
david.joe
24 years ago
For rose lovers, especially OGRs, two gardens are absolutely essential. Firstly, Sissinghurst in Kent, the stunning garden of Vita Sackville West, which has a good selection of roses immaculately trained, many in old fashioned style pegged down on hazel 'benders'- which are fascinating in the spring when they look like lobster pots. The gardeners have a prize for the person who's rose is the most perfectly trained. Ofcourse come June the result is even more exquisite. Sissinghurst is special because it is interesting at all times of year with a select range of plants beautifully placed and cared for. There are some magnificent climbing roses, notably Madame A Carriere and Alan Chandler, which are huge old specimens towering up the mellow brick walls.
My other recommendation is Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire, where Graham Stuart Thomas has brought together a wonderful collection of old fashioned roses within a large walled garden, giving lots of opportunities for lovely climbers, with pergolas for the ramblers and an extensive collection of shrub roses with some pretty herbaceous plants to provide a foil.
These are both run by the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk)
One event which is lovely to attend is the special rose days at Pashley Manor, which is in East Sussex and within easy reach of Sisssinghurst. On 22 June 2002 Peter Beales will be conducting tours of the garden, and there are usually special rose displays in the house and roses for sale. (www.pashleymanorgardens.com)
I live just three miles from Sissinghurst so if you need any help on the many gardens close by also worth visiting, please do get in touch.
Enjoy your holiday planning!
David
Annagoat
24 years ago
Be overwhelmed by roses at The Gardens of the Rose, the headquarters of the Royal National Rose Society near St Albans in Hertfordshire.
Kandy_Australia
22 years ago
I had the good fortune to go on a one day tour of Sissinghurst and Iden Croft Herb Garden with David Green who runs Sissinghurst Garden Tours. We had perfect weather and the roses were absolutely stunning. The rambling rose in the centre of the white garden at Sissinghurst was smothered in bloom and the perfumes in the rose garden were superb. We even bumped into the Head Gardener for a chat - and she identified Lavander Lassie as the rose which was so weighed down with blossom that the bush needed staking. A truly lovely rose and a modern shrub that repeats well.

David is running his first 'big' tour in September - so you may be interested for future reference. I can certainly recommend him.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sissinghurst Garden Tours

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