Places to visit
Recommended places to see seasonal plants at their best
Be sure to check opening times and travel restrictions. Many garden visits will need to be pre-booked.
My first visit to Dove Cottage in West Yorkshire was shortly after my much-loved collie dog Fred had died. I needed to be in a good nursery and to be immersed in the most beautiful garden. Dove Cottage was my first choice and my car was packed to the roof with new plants when I left. Owners Stephen and Kim Rogers have created one of the very best naturalistic gardens in Europe with a cutting-edge collection of perennials. Most of the plants are available to buy in the superb nursery that is attached to the garden. Shibden Hall Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 9XA. Tel 01422 203553, dovecottagenursery.co.uk
Marchants Hardy Plants is one of my favourite nurseries, owned by the wonderful plantsman Graham Gough and his wife Lucy. The nursery has a diverse range of plants and the garden is planted in a contemporary, naturalistic style. The plants for sale at Marchants are all propagated in the nursery and are grown in peat-free compost. 2 Marchants Cottages, Mill Lane, Laughton, East
Sussex BN8 6AJ. Tel 01323 811737, marchantshardy plants.co.uk For many years I have made an annual pilgrimage to Nick Macer’s wonderful nursery Pan-Global Plants and have always come away with a car-full of the choicest plants imaginable. Pan-Global has a massive range of extremely desirable, rare plants.
Many of the specimens
at Hunting Brook have been sourced from Pan-Global Plants over the years. Now all I can do now is drool over Nick’s plant list and hope that some day trading restrictions will be lifted and I will be able to buy plants from the UK again. The Walled Garden, Frampton Court, Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire GL2 7EX. Tel 01452 741641, panglobalplants.com
Windcliff, in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, is the home and garden and one of my gardening heroes Dan Hinkley and his partner Robert. Dan has had a huge influence on my gardening life, having introduced me to so many new and wonderful plants. I have had the privilege of twice visiting Windcliff, which contains a huge range of diverse plants, including many introductions from Dan’s plant-hunting expeditions. The garden is open occasionally and is well worth a visit. Visit Dan’s website to find details of how to arrange a visit to the garden. danieljhinkley.com
Ardán Garden, on Howth Head, just north of Dublin, is only about a 40-minute drive from my own garden at Hunting Brook, so if you come to visit me you can easily make a detour to Ardán on the same day. This coastal, hillside garden is artistically tended by Nuala Doherty and Conall O’Caoimh. Their use of vibrant colours in the perennial borders and exotic garden is like a painting that I wish I could buy. Conall’s sculptures, which are exhibited throughout the site, are also offered for sale. Ardán is one of 14 private gardens (including my own and my sister June’s) that make up the Dublin Garden Trail. If you are in the area, I would recommend you take a look at some of the others too. Full details are on the website below. Windgate Road, Howth, Co Dublin, Ireland D13 K718.
Tel +353 (0)87 972 4271, dublingardengroup.com