Places to visit
Recommended places to see seasonal plants at their best
In early summer, gardens fortunate enough to be set next to a river often take on an appealing dreamy atmosphere. One such garden is Heale House in Wiltshire. Set in the beautiful Woodford Valley, just north of Salisbury, the garden borders the River Avon with willows and aspens lining the river banks. In February, the garden is famed for its sheets of snowdrops and aconites but in summer you can really enjoy the meadows and more formal gardens. The gardens, some of which were laid out by Harold Peto, are composed of mixed borders, formal areas and a kitchen garden. Also at Heale, is Kevin Hughes Plants, a wonderful nursery crammed full of a particularly choice selection of hardy plants, including collections of magnolias and wisteria and is worth the
journey alone. Heale House, Middle Woodford, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 6NT. Tel 01722 782504, healegarden.co.uk Another riverside garden that is certainly worth a visit at this time of year is Athelhampton House and Gardens, near Dorchester in Dorset. The garden – on the banks of the wonderfully named River Piddle – is made up of a series of formal ornate garden rooms, pools and flowing lawns. Highlights include the Great Court, a formal garden that dates from around 1891 made up of towering yew pyramids and the Corona, a pretty circular walled garden with scalloped-shaped tops and narrow finials. Althelhampton House and Gardens, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 7LG. Tel 01305 848682, athelhampton.co.uk Penwood Nurseries, near Newbury, is an excellent place to find new plants. Used by many landscape designers and architects, it has an especially good range of unusual trees and shrubs, as well as extensive collections of roses and perennials. Penwood Nurseries, The Drove, Penwood, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 9EW. Tel 01635 254366, penwoodnurseries.co.uk