MORE GREAT GARDEN ESCAPES

Argyll and Bute

The coastal gardens of Argyll offer exotic species, blue Himalayan poppies, towering rhododendrons and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the British Isles. The viewpoint at Arduaine looks out over islands that bask like seals in sunshine. At Crarae Garden (above), a Himalayan gorge has been created around the local burn, or stream. Five-acre An Ceardach Garden on the Kintyre Peninsula leads you to the sea, while Mount Stuart Castle on the Isle of Bute boasts not so much gardens as botanical collections. Inspired? Visit Kinlochlaich Garden Centre between Oban and Fort William to buy some of these plants for your own garden; kinlochlaichgardencentre.co.uk.

Sussex

Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter (above), near Northiam, is a must-see for any garden lover.

Nymans, at Handcross, is an English idyll, with rose garden, ruins and herbaceous borders.

Wakehurst, near Haywards Heath, is used by Kew Gardens but owned by the National Trust – it has important plant collections, a charming courtyard café and woodlands that are great for kids to explore. The hillside garden at Standen House, an Arts and Crafts gem in East Grinstead, is undergoing restoration, but seeing this evolve is part of the attraction. Sussex Prairie Garden at Henfield, developed by Paul and Pauline McBride, was inspired by Piet Oudolf’s perennial planting.

Cornwall Dorset

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (above), near Weymouth, has views of Chesil Beach and the Jurassic coast from the magnolia walk plus 20 acres of exotic planting, where ornamental pheasants strut and peck beneath palms and gunnera. Abbotsbury Swannery is next door. Athelhampton House, near Dorchester, is set in formal, architectural gardens with statuesque topiary and a 15th-century dovecote, while at the other end of the historical scale,

Compton Acres in Poole, created in the 1920s, features a Japanese garden and an Italian garden. Knoll Gardens near Wimborne is the showcase for the award-winning grasses nursery founded by Neil Lucas; knollgardens.co.uk.

The yew topiary at Lanhydrock (above), near Bodmin, is not only spectacular horticulturally, but has helped contribute to medical research. Cycle trails on the estate will help you get fit, too.

Caerhays Castle, near St Austell, is a mass of blossom from early spring onwards as camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons come into bloom.

Trelissick has panoramic views over the Fal Estuary, while Glendurgan Garden and Trebah

Garden, just outside Falmouth, are subtropical coastal paradises. Glendurgan’s cherry laurel hedge maze will fascinate visitors of all ages, while at Trebah you can walk down to the secluded beach through a sea of blue hydrangeas.

Somerset

Like Montacute House itself, the two pavilions either side of the terrace are Elizabethan and built in ham stone. Much of the garden layout is either original or true to the original. East Lambrook

Manor Gardens (above), eight miles to the west, is the iconic English cottage garden, created by journalist and plantswoman Margery Fish, who moved there in the 1930s. Hestercombe, near Taunton, is famous for its Edwardian formal gardens, but also has an 18th-century landscape garden. New kids on the block are the Piet Oudolf

Garden at the Hauser & Wirth gallery, Bruton, and the Yeo Valley Organic Garden near Blagdon, with its wildflower meadow and orchard.