Mary Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I dream of a sprawling garden filled with flowers, hedgerows, a vegetable patch, maybe even my own apple orchard! I would sit

there, under an old oak tree, reading, daydreaming… It would be perfect. In reality, living in a flat I consider myself lucky to even

have a window box. To get my dose of green I venture out as often as I can. Here are a few of my favourite gardens across the

country. You can visit them even now, you just need to book in advance.

One of the worlds greatest g

I dream of a sprawling garden filled with flowers, hedgerows, a vegetable patch, maybe even my own apple orchard! I would sit

there, under an old oak tree, reading, daydreaming… It would be perfect. In reality, living in a flat I consider myself lucky to even

have a window box. To get my dose of green I venture out as often as I can. Here are a few of my favourite gardens across the

country. You can visit them even now, you just need to book in advance.

One of the worlds greatest gardens, Wisley has carpets of crocus, a delightful walk among the honey-scented Edgeworthia flowers,

the most beautiful heather landscape, as in the images above, and a larger than life sculpture exhibition by Philip Haas.

Wisley is also launching its new Home of Gardening science, the UK’s first dedicated horticultural scientific centre. Helping to protect

the future of plants, people and the planet. Its spectacular building houses three laboratories and is surrounded by three magnificent

new gardens. It opens on June 24th.

Beautiful colour filled garden with over 50 acres of land Tatton park also has a Japanese Garden, which is considered the best of its

kind in Europe. It was laid out between 1910 and 1913 and follows the plan of a tea- garden with a small Shinto Shrine and a

thatched Tea-House. The Walled Kitchen Garden is an ongoing restoration project, growing fruit and vegetables using traditional skills

and processes. The product is available for purchase in the garden shop and is used to create delicious dishes in the Stables

Restaurant and Gardener’s Cottage Tea Room.

One of the best gardens of its type, the unique microclimate enables rare and exotic plants from all over the world to thrive. Plants

grow lushy in the sheltered valley and romantic walled garden. Last year saw the addition of a sculpture trail celebrating characters

from classic literature. See if you can spot the Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit and Alice. There is also an excellent nursery.

The Royal Botanic Garden was recently named Scotland’s busiest visitor attraction and it's no surprise. It's one of the world’s leading

botanic gardens and has a history dating back 350 years. My favourite of their collection is Benmore. It is a mountainside garden

with samples of the world's heritage. The Bhutanese Glade is breath-taking, as you can see in the image below. It's like taking an

Expedition to Bhutan.

A gateway to the Lake District National Park and home to the world’s oldest topiary, Levens Hall is unusual and beautiful. The House

isn’t open just yet but is expecting to open May 17th. They have delicious food and a playground for children. A great day out for all!

With over 90 acres this beautiful garden showcases a multitude of European styles from fancy French curves to bold Italian geometry.

The beautiful landscapes are also home to green woodland walks. While keeping a lookout for the 18th century Bowling Green House,

spectacular Archer Pavilion and striking Chinese Bridge and Temple. There are also plenty of activities such as a live retelling of

George and the Dragon on April 24th and 25th and Archaeological store tours in May.