Great days out for your GREEN FINGERED FAMILY
FEELING a bit limited by your cramped garden now we can all get out and about? Why not plan a great family day out by visiting a garden that has much more to offer than plants alone. From plots with great adventure playgrounds to one that will excite Harry Potter fans, here are ten of the best places that will keep everyone happy during the holidays.
Eden Project, Cornwall
A towering rope bridge spans a jungle of tropical plants in the steamy rainforest biome, one of a cluster of interlinked futuristic domes set within an old china clay pit close to the town of St Austell. Opened to the public in 2001, the visitor attraction covers a 37-acre site. Outside the biomes – home to thousands of plants from all over the world – there are herbaceous borders, wildflower meadows, an area planted with native species and art installations. Children under ten will love the Minibeast Mansion play area (edenproject.com).
Exbury Gardens, Hampshire
Set within the New Forest, Exbury was created by banker Lionel de Rothschild in 1919 and is renowned for its collection of rhododendrons. The recently opened Centenary Garden provides a big shot of summer colour, while the sylvan landscape’s 20 miles of pathways provide plenty of opportunity for kids to let off steam. A narrow-gauge steam railway meanders through part of the garden and stops at the new dragonfly pond, which has been planted with native aquatics. Floating pontoons allow visitors to watch these aerial insects close-up (exbury.co.uk).
Capel Manor Gardens, London
Set on the outskirts of Enfield, North London, this 30-acre garden run by a specialist environmental college contains scores of mini demonstration gardens in varying styles, including several that have been rebuilt in the grounds following medal-winning appearances at the Chelsea Flower Show. Elsewhere, there are lawns dotted with island beds, a small zoo, lake, holly maze, woodland walk and a 17th Century walled garden. Make sure you leave time to visit the string of nurseries and garden centres in nearby Crews Hill (capelmanor gardens.co.uk).
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Oxfordshire
Giraffes, Asiatic lions, ring-tailed lemurs and more than 250 other exotic beasts are the main draw for children at this 160-acre site but plant-loving adults won’t be disappointed with the gardens. Developed by head gardener Tim Miles since the late 1990s, there are prairie-style plantings around a rhino paddock and an arid area dotted with succulents that forms the backdrop to a meerkat enclosure. A highlight is the old walled gardens that have been turned into a sub-tropical paradise with palms, bananas and a host of tender species (cotswoldwildlifepark. co.uk).
Chatsworth, Derbyshire
The seat of the Cavendish family since 1549, Chatsworth House sits at the heart of a 105-acre landscape that was designed largely by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the late 18th Century.
Explore the grounds and you’ll find a yew maze, borders in full flight and the recently restored Victorian rock garden.
Children will love rolling down the sloping lawns, visiting the farmyard or playing in the well-equipped adventure playground. Unfortunately, the garden’s water features are currently not running due to problems with the stately pile’s water supply (chatsworth.org).
Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire
Situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, this magnificent 22-acre estate is littered with historic garden buildings and follies. Among them is the Shepherd’s Monument, which was built in the mid-18th Century and is adorned with a series of carved letters that are reputed to provide a clue to the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. Nearby is the classical mansion with its formal gardens, farm, vast walled garden and play area. Until September 5, visitors have the opportunity to take part in all sorts of sports and games, including bowls and badminton (national trust.org.uk/shugborough-estate).
Westonbury Mill Water Gardens, Herefordshire
Situated in the Welsh Marches, this magical space covers five acres and features several unique follies, including a huge dome
made of 5,000 empty wine bottles and a 25ft-tall, water-powered cuckoo clock. There are bosky pathways, a pond, bog garden, wildflower meadow and a spiral grass mound that youngsters will love racing up (westonburymillwater gardens.com).
The Alnwick Garden, Northumberland
Anyone familiar with the Harry Potter film franchise will immediately recognise Alnwick Castle as the fictional setting for Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The imposing building is surrounded by a magical landscape that includes a rose garden, bamboo labyrinth, grand cascade of 120 water jets and a poison garden containing 100 toxic, intoxicating or narcotic plants. If you have any spare energy, there’s 42 acres of rolling parkland that was designed by Capability Brown in 1750 (alnwickgarden.com).
Dewstow Gardens & Grottoes, Monmouthshire
Created at the turn of the 20th Century by James Pulham and Son, a company that specialised in artificial rockworks, Dewstow boasts an underground maze of tunnels, caverns, pools and fernfilled grottoes. Commissioned by Henry Oakley, a director of the Great Western Railway, the subterranean wonderland fell into disrepair in the 1940s and has been painstakingly restored since 2000.
Above ground there’s a further seven acres to explore, with lawns, borders, a Pulhamite rockery and string of ponds linked by streams (dewstowgardens.co.uk).
Scone Palace, Perthshire
Crowning place of Scottish kings from the 9th Century to Charles II in 1651, imposing Scone Palace sits within 100 acres of gardens and grounds. There’s woodland to explore, a kitchen garden and Victorian pinetum with some of the tallest trees in the UK.
Loads of big, wide-open spaces and a well-equipped adventure playground provide plenty of opportunity for youngsters to burn off energy. Don’t miss the tricky, star-shaped beech maze that was created by international maze designer Adrian Fisher (sconepalace.co.uk).