Gardens to visit this summer

Now that summer has arrived, gardens across the UK are blooming, making it a great time to visit some of the stunning public gardens that we have here in the UK. Whether you are looking for inspiration for your own garden, for Britain in Bloom or you just want to sit back and enjoy the view, these are some of our suggestions (from a pretty long list) for great places to visit.

Cambo Country House and Estate, Fife

This garden in Fife is magical at any time of year, with beautiful branches of cherry blossom in spring and cascades of flowers in the summer. Hidden within ancient walls, the garden brings a modern twist to the traditional Victorian garden, complete with box hedges, lilacs and roses galore. There are also woodland walks which provide a scenic route leading to the sea.

Holker Hall, Cumbria

The immaculately kept 25 acre Holker gardens are part woodland and part formal garden, complemented by 200 acres of natural parkland. There is a three day garden festival held in June and thousands of bulbs appearing in the springtime, but the Holker gardens are designed to look stunning throughout all the seasons. It is also home to the Great Holker Lime which measures 7.9 metres in girth and was probably planted as part of a formal garden in the early 17th century.

West Dean, West Sussex

The West Dean gardens are fantastic to visit throughout the year. The garden is beautifully dressed with clematis, roses and wisteria with underplantings including day lilies, ferns, lamium and geraniums. The extensive grounds hold 13 restored Victorian glasshouses housing a range of different plants. Make sure you also look out for the 300 foot pergola designed by Harold Peto, the famous designer.

Bowood House, Wiltshire

The Bowood stately home stands within a beautiful park with sloping lawns down to the lake. The estate is home to a wide variety of speciality gardens, making for the perfect visit for horticultural lovers. Must-sees include the Doric Temple and terrace gardens.

Great Comp Garden, Kent

This seven acre garden includes sweeping lawns, winding woodland paths and formal areas designed to entice visitors to explore around the next corner. Maintained by a relatively small team which includes a curator, 2 full time gardeners, one part time gardener and volunteers, the garden includes many beautiful and rare plants surrounding a 17th century manor house.

However, not all places are lucky enough to have such scenic greenery and for councils and Britain in Bloom groups, overcoming this can be a challenging problem. Amberol’s self-watering containers provide an affordable solution to bring bursts of colour to grey areas across the UK.