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10 of the best secret gardens in Britain — and how you can visit themThe lure of a secret garden is as strong now as it was when Frances Hodgson Burnett first published The Secret Garden over a century ago. With a recent film adaptation — the fifth — having hit screens, Juliet Roberts selects a few of her favourite secret gardens.
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Iford Manor: How Harold Peto created a Wiltshire masterpiece that 'that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary'Troy Scott-Smith, head gardener at Iford Manor, tells the tale of how the great Harold Peto found Iford and used it to his gardening and architectural dreams come to life.
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Painswick Rococo Garden: Hidden pavilions and romantic copses, watched over by the god of woodland revelsTiffany Daneff visits Painswick Rococo Garden, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, one of the best examples of a Rococo garden in this country — a place of hidden pavilions and romantic copses watched over by the god of woodland revels. Photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
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Bere Mill: The riverside gardens in Hampshire created in as natural and as sensitive a way as possibleInformed by the Japanese ‘landscape in the garden’ tradition, the naturalistic riverside gardens of Bere Mill, Hampshire, flow with ease into their languid surroundings says Tiffany Daneff. Pictures by Andrea Jones.
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The Gardens of Monteviot, a garden where magic lingers for future generationsJames Truscott is entranced by a series of new gardens at Monteviot, near Jedburgh. that that successfully captures the magic of growing up in a place rich in history and legend. Photographs by Andrea Jones.
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Parceval Hall: Tucked away in a corner of the Yorkshire Dales, a great garden that's perfectly restoredSteven Desmond visits the early-20th-century garden created at Parcevall Hall in Skyreholme, North Yorkshire, by Sir William Milner and now triumphantly restored. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
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The national collection of rambling roses at Moor Wood, 'one of midsummer’s most beautiful and romantic gardens in England'Charles Quest-Ritson visits the National Collection of rambling roses, which shows these most romantic of plants at their very finest. Photographs by Britt Willoughby-Dyer for the Country Life Picture Library.
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Inside the incredible Private Gardens at Petworth House, a space with 'a sense of privacy and intimacy' at one of Britain's great housesNon Morris tours the Private Gardens at Petworth House, West Sussex , the home of Lord and Lady Egremont, and finds a secluded garden within the landscaped acres that’s been managed with great charm and panache. Photographs by Val Corbett.
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The gardens at the Old Rectory in Litton Cheney, where formal and informal come together in harmonyThe Old Rectory in Litton Cheney, Dorset has four acres of gardens with many and varying elements, all drawn beautifully together with the help of Arne Maynard. Christopher Stocks paid a visit; photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer for Country Life.
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How to enjoy bluebells from home — and how to plant them to enjoy your own in future yearsBluebells are among our most welcome annual visitors, writes Toby Keel in celebrating these joyous spring flowers.
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Arundel Castle Gardens: 'Sometimes, a garden catches you unawares... the thought keeps recurring: I’ve never seen anything like this before.'Tiffany Daneff visits Arundel Castle Gardens, sitting in the shadow of the castle and the cathedral at this beautiful West Sussex town, where head gardener Martin Duncan and his team have worked wonders with their bold and innovative plantings.
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Le Clos du Peyronnet, France: The legendary English Riviera garden of William WaterfieldCharles Quest-Ritson visits the best English garden on the French riviera. Photographs by Claire Takacs.
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Clovelly Court: The Devon country estate pulling off the vital trick needed by a modern country estateEvery Tuesday, we go back through the Country Life archives to enjoy an article from the past — this week, it's Clovelly Manor in Devon. Tim Longville visited for the magazine some four years ago, with Val Corbett taking the pictures.
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The Cotswolds garden at Banks Fee: Spectacular views, glorious hedges and a kitchen garden which produces veg boxes for the whole familySpectacular views set off varied formal elements, from pleached hornbeams to a large kitchen garden, in this serene Cotswold garden. Non Morris paid a visit; photographs by Val Corbett.
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Reddish House: The 'dream house' and gardens of Cecil Beaton, restored for the 21st century just as he'd have wishedReddish House in Wiltshire is the place where the great Cecil Beaton fell in love with gardening. Taking on this idyllic plot did not involve a slavish re-creation of his work, however — instead, it’s been a case of applying the same spirit. Non Morris assesses the results, with photographs by Val Corbett.
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Lowther Castle: The spectacular and historic gardens that rise from one of Britain's most evocative ruinsThe gardens at Lowther Castle, Penrith, Cumbria, rise artfully from the ruins of their spectacular setting — yet the effort it has taken them to blend in so perfectly has been immense. Non Morris reports on Jim Lowther and Dan Pearson’s continuing work to restore these historic gardens; photographs by Val Corbett.
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Bucket List Inspiration: The most beautiful gardens from all over the world11 of the world's most stunning must-visit gardens, from vineyards in America to shrunken miniatures in Japan.
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Britain is blossoming – here’s where to make the most of this beautiful moment in SpringWith blossom trees across the nation bursting into bloom we've polled our team of writers and contributors to offer these wonderful suggestions for the best places to enjoy this glorious seasonal show.
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Flowers, greenhouses and political intrigue: The extraordinary tale of Fulham Palace GardensFulham Palace Gardens have been bringing joy to garden-lovers in London for three centuries. Mark Griffiths pays tribute to the extraordinary figure who first created this idyllic space.
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Ninfa: The extraordinary tale of an English country garden which thrives in the heart of ItalyCharles Quest-Ritson fell in love with the spectacularly romantic gardens of Ninfa decades ago, and is just as entranced now as he was then. But make your visit while you can, he warns, since its future is not secure.
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Country Life October 31 2018Country Life 31 October 2018 reflects on the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, visits an extraordinary Oxfordshire garden and discovers Prue Leith's favourite things.
