Summer has arrived, making it the ideal time to explore the UK's finest gardens. From historic estates to intimate private plots, these green spaces offer inspiration through exquisite planting and innovative design.
Bowood House in Wiltshire features a new Walled Garden with double borders in soft whites, creams, and lime greens, reflecting the chintz fabric inside the house. A south-facing wall displays red, orange, and blue blooms, while a sensory garden and a new Dry Garden with drought-tolerant plants add variety.
Near Edinburgh, the National Trust for Scotland's Malleny Garden covers nearly 10 acres, including a walled garden with heritage roses and 400-year-old yew trees. It holds a National Collection of 19th-century shrub roses, with 150 varieties, plus lavender and philadelphus in summer. A Victorian glasshouse showcases pelargoniums, salvias, and auricula primulas.
For a more intimate experience, The Old Rectory in Norfolk opens for the National Garden Scheme. Its formal front garden features a sunken centrepiece and rose beds, while the rear garden includes a small wood, croquet lawn, natural swimming pond, and a 500-year-old sweet chestnut.
Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, famous for the Profumo affair, boasts an 80-acre garden with a maze, water garden, and a 200m long border. The National Trust has restored it with sustainable practices, including biodiverse plantings and a no-dig system. Gardener-led tours offer insights into the estate's history and conservation.
Littlethorpe Manor in North Yorkshire opens on 5 July for the National Garden Scheme. Its two-level garden includes a formal upper area and parkland below, with a walled garden featuring roses and perennials, a sunken garden, and a Contemporary Physic garden with medicinal plants.
In Pembrokeshire, Cilwendeg is a six-acre garden set in the Preseli uplands, created from leftover farmland. It features a walled Front Garden with seasonal containers, a Rickyard with peonies and topiary, a courtyard with exotic foliage, a bog garden, and a meadow with ornamental grasses.
