Ten cracking gardens for a Christmas day out
IF YOU’RE going stir crazy or need to burn off a few calories over the festive period, there are lots of great gardens open. From dedicated winter displays to places with scenic walks, here are ten of the best gardens to visit…
1 KILLERTON, DEVON
There are miles of pathways to explore in this estate near Exeter, which is dominated by a fine 18th Century house. Plenty of winterinterest trees and shrubs can be found in the gardens that occupy high land, so visitors are rewarded with panoramic views over the countryside. Don’t miss Killerton’s chapel, surrounded by sheets of magenta cyclamen.
nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton 2 STOURHEAD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
A grotto, Palladian bridge and temple dedicated to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, are just some of the ornamental features you will find on a jaunt through this 40-acre garden, built by banker Henry Hoare in the 18th Century. Don’t miss the magnificent views from the Temple of Apollo, set on high ground above an artificial lake.
nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead 3 WAKEHURST, WEST SUSSEX
It is set to get its official launch next month, but the new winter garden at Kew’s ‘country garden’ at Ardingly is already open to visitors. It contains more than 33,000 plants that are at their best in winter, i ncluding Himalayan birches, Tibetan cherries and bronze-leaved bergenia. Leave time to explore the rest of the 500-acre estate too.
kew.org/wakehurst 4 SIR HAROLD HILLIER GARDENS, HAMPSHIRE
A dedicated four-acre winter garden is the seasonal highlight of this magnificent gem set in rolling countryside near Romsey. It contains 650 different plants picked for their stems, scent, flowers and foliage, including dogwoods, bamboos and witch hazels.
hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/ hilliergardens 5 PENSTHORPE, NORFOLK
A former setting for BBC Springwatch, this 700-acre nature reserve in the tranquil Wensum Valley is a great place to blow off steam. The highlight of any winter visit is undoubtedly the Millennium Garden created by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf – it boasts swathes of structural grasses and perennials topped with seed heads.
pensthorpe.com 6 CLUMBER PARK, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
The former seat of the Dukes of Newcastle is a great place for an invigorating winter walk. There are more than 3,800 acres of parkland, woodland and gardens to explore, along with an 87- acre lake bounded by a circular fourmile walk. Only the foundations of the once-great party mansion remain, but the grounds are littered with garden features from its Victorian heyday.
nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park 7 DUNHAM MASSEY, CHESHIRE
Claimed to be the largest of its kind in Britain, the winter garden within this sprawling 3,000- acre estate near Altrincham covers seven acres. Thousands of trees, shrubs, perennials and early- flowering bulbs rub shoulders under venerable beech trees. The best part is the striking birch triangle, where 50 white- stemmed Himalayan birches are underplanted with dogwoods, grasses and cyclamen.
nationaltrust.org.uk/ dunham-massey 8 HARLOW CARR, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Nestled on the outskirts of Harrogate, the Royal Horticultural Society’s northern flagship garden covers 68 acres set within a valley. The Streamside Walk that follows the course of Harlow Beck is always popular and passes a winter display where evergreens provide structure among seasonal shrubs, perennials and bulbs. It runs east to west, allowing plants to shine in the morning and afternoon sun.
rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr 9 ARDKINGLAS, ARGYLL
Five Champion trees – the tallest or broadest of their kind in Britain – can be seen in this 25-acre woodland garden in Argyll that hugs the banks of the River Kinglas on its journey to the eastern shore of Loch Fyne. Among the notable species to be found in the sylvan landscape populated by red squirrels is a European silver fir with a girth of more than 30ft.
ardkinglas.com 10 BODNANT GARDEN, CONWY
An 80-acre plantsman’s paradise in the foothills of the Snowdon mountain range, Bodnant boasts a winter garden close to its formidable 18th Century granite house. Those wanting to burn off a few more calories should follow the network of paths that lead down a sloping woodland garden to the River Hiraethlyn, a tributary of the tidal River Conwy.
nationaltrust.org.uk/ bodnant-garden