GARDENS TO VISIT

EAST LAMBROOK GARDENS, SOMERSET The Grade I listed gardens at East Lambrook Manor, created between 1938 and 1969 by celebrated writer and plantswoman Margery Fish, are set around a pretty 15th-century manor house. The gardens are planted with great insight, and are the place where Margery developed her iconic gardening style, blending old with new. The gardens are widely regarded as a fine example of the classic English cottage garden. eastlambrook.com

COTEHELE, CORNWALL

These 19 acres of mature gardens with magnificent views from the 16thcentury granite house comprise three parts: the upper gardens with formally planted terraces, lawns, borders, walls and hedges; a large apple orchard; and a sheltered woodland valley that stretches down to the River Tamar. Look out for the many unusual trees and shrubs as well as the medieval dovecote, a stew pond, bowling green, 18th-century Prospect Tower and Victorian summerhouse. nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele

ALNWICK GARDEN, NORTHUMBERLAND In the early 2000s, the gardens of Alnwick were developed by the Duchess of Northumberland. Despite controversy around creating a large new garden in the grounds of the ancient castle, her vision paid off and today the 12-acre garden has become one of the great visitor attractions in the north of England. Highlights are the dramatic cascade, the Poison Garden, one of the most impressive treehouses in the world and one of the largest collections of European plants in the UK. alnwickcastle.com

HEALE GARDEN, WILTSHIRE

Set on the banks of the River Avon, around a pretty 17th-century manor house, the eight-acre gardens at Heale were designed by celebrated landscape architect Harold Peto in 1910. The tranquil gardens feature formal terraces, ponds, a kitchen garden and a Japanese tea house. The garden has been developed and cared for by many generations of the Rasch family, who continue to live in the house. The charming tea room and plant nursery are worth a visit, too. healegarden.co.uk