England is considered by many garden lovers to be the ultimate travel destination. In the south of the country, in particular, a wide variety of facilities await you: whether it's a colorful shrub garden, a large landscape park, Victorian kitchen gardens or house gardens laid out according to old plans.
A Garden Trip Through Southern England
After arriving with the ferry at the white chalk cliffs of Dover, we travel to Great Dixter, THE experimental area of the garden writer Christopher Lloyd, who died in 2006. To this day, his informal way of using plants is a role model for many garden planners. Not only in England.
The next station is the garden of Parham in West Sussex. The dimensions are impressive: the landscape park covers 354 hectares and even the walled ornamental and kitchen garden measures 1.6 hectares. Head Gardener is Tom Brown. He manages the gardens organically, without chemical fertilizers or insecticides.
A 90-meter long pergola of wooden beams and limestone columns, lushly covered with climbing plants is one of the highlights of the West Dean garden. No less impressive is the Victorian kitchen garden designed by "Gardens Manager" Jim Buckland.
Even in England gardens are not always spacious and spectacular. At least at first glance. The garden of Highdown in Worthing in West Sussex seems almost modest. But the fact that it was created at all is not self-evident. The main protagonist in this garden is the lime subsoil. In some places, even the bare rock flashes out. A challenge for head gardener Jo Hooper and her team.
Southwest of London, in the county of Hampshire, lies the estate of Upton Grey. The garden bears the signature of one of the best-known British women in gardening circles: Gertrude Jekyll. The fact that the garden from 1908 radiates its typical charm again today is the result of meticulous research, hard work and a lot of passion, which the owner Rosamund Wallinger invested over decades.
"A garden between tradition and modernity". How many times have you read this phrase in travel guides? In any case, too often. But in the case of West Green House's garden, the description might fit.
At first glance, the Merriments nursery in East Sussex is nothing unusual for plant connoisseurs, offering trees, shrubs, and perennials. The adjacent show garden, however, is worth a detour. The owner and garden planner David Weeks has created a kind of "walk-in garden magazine" right next to the sales area, with living examples of plant combinations.
In the southeast of England, in the county of Kent, lies one of the most famous gardens in the country: Sissinghurst. For many visitors the ideal image of a country house garden. Sissinghurst is the life's work of garden writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. In 1930 they bought the property - at that time more a ruin than an inviting residence. For several years the couple repaired the buildings and laid out the magnificent garden.
Tresco Abbey Garden, Isles of Scilly
A bit further away are the sub-tropical gardens, hidden on the Isles of Scilly, built by Lord Proprietor Augustus Smith in 1834. The tropical garden is set in 17 acres and the warm climate and location on a hillside ensure unusual exotic plants from all over the world are in plenty.
There’s a wealth of gardens to visit across England that can offer inspiration for planting and designing your own backyard. Enjoy your trip through Southern England Gardens!
Read more:
https://www.visitengland.com/short-breaks-england/english-gardens/selection-englands-best-gardens
https://www.gardensillustrated.com/gardens/25-of-the-best-english-gardens-to-visit/
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