GARDEN DESCRIPTIONS

STOURHEAD is world renowned and one of

England’s greatest 18th century landscape

gardens inspired by the works of 17th century

landscape painters. It was motivated by the

idea of garden making as a branch of landscape

painting. When the garden opened in 1740 it

was described as “a living work of art.” At its

center is a magnificent lake reflecting the

classical temples of Flora and Apollo, the

Pantheon housing statues of Hercules and other

classical figures, a 5-arched Palladian stone

bridge, grottoes and rare and exotic trees.

THE GARDEN HOUSE AT BUCKLAND MONACHORUM has a history of naturalistic and innovative cottage

drift planting. It is comprised of a flowing series of garden rooms including a Summer Garden, Cottage

Garden, Walled Garden, Quarry Garden, Birch Wood, Acer Glade, Bulb Meadow and more!

LANHYDROCK HOUSE AND GARDENS offer a prime example of the two sides of Victorian life: the

kitchens, nurseries and servants’ quarters offer a glimpse into life `below stairs’ while the luxurious

family areas reveal the comfort of life `upstairs’. The gardens offer beautiful flower framed views, a

fabulous formal parterre, unique circular herbaceous borders, a thatched gardener’s cottage and lovely

woodland walks.

PINETUM PARK AND PINE LODGE GARDENS has 10 individual gardens and offers serious plant hunters

over 6000 plants to explore, many grown from seeds collected from all over the world on specialist plant

hunting expeditions. Marvel at the Pinetum where the conifers and pines have been meticulously

graded in size to form a semi-circular amphitheater. Stroll through the more intimate Japanese Garden,

the Arboretum, the Wildflower Meadow and meander along a serpentine path between two waterfalls

cascading into a Koi pond. What a unique experience this provides to be able to see so many different

styles and types of gardens within one place.

MARSH VILLA GARDENS is a feat to behold. This magical 3 acre garden has been created on a former

tidal creek prone to severe annual flooding. Through 25 years of back breaking perseverance, Judith

Stephens and her husband Harvey have transformed this poorly drained marshy meadow into one of

the most delightful gardens in Cornwall. A hornbeam avenue forms a central axis and meandering paths

lead you to the formal enclosed garden, small wooded areas with under-plantings, the wildlife friendly

marsh and the large natural pond.

ANTONY HOUSE is an 18th century house

featuring fine collections of furniture, textiles

and portraits, including one of Charles l at his

trial. The gardens were designed by Humphry

Repton and include a formal garden with

topiary, knot garden, summer garden, the

National Collection of Daylilies, contemporary

sculpture, sweeping river views and unexpected

nooks and crannies. The magic of Antony was

captured by director Tim Burton, as a film

location for his blockbuster Alice in

Wonderland.

MOUNT EDGCUMBE was the former home of the Earls of Edgcumbe, one of the oldest of Cornwall’s

great families. It was first built in the 1500’s, restored after World War Two and is jointly owned by the

Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. This 865 acre country park has retained a good deal of its

18th- 19th century character: gardens laid out in grand formal style, sloping lawns, majestic trees, blocks

of woodland, classical garden buildings and statuary. The Earl’s Garden lies near the 18th century Tudor

House, and the lower park has 200 year old gardens laid out in the English, French and Italianate styles.

These have recently been added to with American and New Zealand styled gardens and a Jubilee Garden

established in 2002 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee.

THE LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN lay buried for more than 70 years until the chance discovery 25 years

ago of a door in the ruins led to the restoration of this great estate. It was known as the largest garden

restoration project in Europe and was the subject of several popular television programs and books.

Remarkably, many of the original plant collections survived and have reached record sizes. Created by

members of the Cornish Tremayne family, the gardens are typical of the 19th century Gardenesque style

with several areas differing in character and design style. There are Victorian Pleasure Grounds,

Productive Gardens, an exuberant Sub-tropical Jungle Garden bursting with luxuriant foliage, and

Woodland Walks where you can discover the Mud Maid, Giant’s Head and Grey Lady as they emerge

from the undergrowth. The `Lost Gardens’ are lost no longer and are among the most popular gardens

in the UK.

TREWITHEN means `house of trees’ and here you will find all sorts of fascinating champion trees, rare

shrubs and exotic fern collections many a result of dangerous plant hunting expeditions between 1910

and 1932 to Asia, Australasia and North and South America. Trewithen has received the International

Camelia Garden of Excellence award, one of only 39 gardens in the world to have this honor and 1 of

only 5 in the UK. This garden features woodland glades, wildflowers, the longest lawn in Cornwall,

viewing platforms so you can get up close to the floral canopy, and a rare camera obscura.

TREBAH GARDEN is one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall and rated among the 80 finest gardens in the

world. Set in a wooded ravine and first planted over 160 years ago, it is a 25 acre sub-tropical valley

paradise. Wander through glades of champion trees, bamboos, palms, enormous tree ferns, giant

gunnera, and vibrant tunnels of color to a private beach that was used during the Second World War to

launch the assault on Omaha Beach in Normandy. This amazing garden also features cascading

waterfalls, ponds of Koi carp, exotic water gardens and two acres of blue and white hydrangeas.

MEUDON HOTEL AND GARDEN is a family owned hotel set in a 9 acre subtropical valley garden. Enjoy a

wonderful collection of rare and exotic trees and shrubs from around the world along paths which

meander down to a private beach. It has a formal garden, herbaceous borders, indigenous plants and

sunken pond area.

POPPY COTTAGE is a one acre plantsman’s paradise. Planted as a series of rooms, which are small

gardens in themselves, it is brimming with shrubs, bulbs, grasses, herbaceous plants and exotics. There

are plenty of places to sit and colorful and intriguing surprises around every corner.

ST MICHAEL’S MOUNT is an iconic rocky island

crowned by a medieval church and castle with

buildings dating from the 12th century. It has

been a fortress, priory and family home where

Bronze Age settlers, monks, pilgrims and

soldiers have all left their mark. Currently a civil

parish, it is linked to the mainland by a man-

made causeway of granite, passable between

mid-tide and low-water. Clinging to granite

slopes, the terraced garden beds tier steeply to

the ocean’s edge. Blue agapanthus, brooms,

cordylines, fuchsias, pelargoniums and many

exotics are among the thousands of plants

pushing the boundaries of what can be grown in

this windy salt-sprayed climate. Adventurous

gardening at its best!

MINACK THEATER is an open-air theater with magnificent sea views, constructed on a cliff face where

the English Channel serves as a backdrop to the stage. The exotic garden at the top of the cliff features

bold and colorful subtropical plantings of aloes, agaves, sea lavender, welsh poppies, kniphofias and

more.

LAND’S END is Britain’s most south-westerly point and one of its most famous landmarks offering stunning scenery. From the 200 foot high granite cliffs that rise out of the Atlantic Ocean, you can view the Longships Lighthouse, the Isles of Scilly and beyond that, North America.

KEN CARO is a 4 acre well designed and labeled

private garden offering a great deal of year round

interest for garden enthusiasts. Named after its

owners, Kenneth and Caroline Willcock, the gardens

began as 2 acres devoted to fruits and vegetables.

This was eventually recreated as the `secret garden’

and over the years, the garden space more than

doubled, with the addition of island beds, ponds, and

carefully arranged sculpture. Trees, shrubs and flowers

have been purposefully planted to lead your eye out

across the sweeping landscape vistas beyond.

KILLERTON is an 18th century estate that has been owned by the National Trust since 1944. Its 18 acre

garden was originally created by Scotsman John Veitch with later design influences by Victorian garden

writer William Robinson. There are wonderful herbaceous borders, terraced beds with dwarf shrubs and

rhododendrons, a Victorian laundry, ice house, bear hut and chapel. Because of its mild climate,

Killerton was used as a trial ground for plants brought back from all corners of the globe and many

plants currently in existence throughout the British Isles were first planted at Killerton.

FORDE ABBEY is a fascinating combination of

medieval monastery and family home.

Throughout the medieval period, it was known

as a center of scholarship and many of its 12th

century features are beautifully restored

including: the Cloisters, Chapel, Monks’

Dormitory and Vaulted Undercroft. After the

dissolution of the monasteries, it was

transformed into a private residence with the

addition of larger elegant staterooms. Today it

is a full-fledged working estate and home to the

Kennard family. The centerpiece of Forde

Abbey’s award winning garden is the Long Pond

which leads to a small domed temple at one

end. There is an amazing bog garden,

arboretum, rock garden, a working walled

kitchen garden, shrubbery, and a series of

cascades and canals lined with herbaceous

borders. The Centenery Fountain was built in

2005 to mark 100 years of the Roper family at

Forde. At 160 feet tall, it is the highest powered

fountain in England. Gardening journalist Alan

Titchmarsh describes Forde Abbey as, “one of

the greatest gardens in the West Country.”

BURROW FARM GARDENS is a 13 acre peaceful oasis with a variety of different naturalistic planting

designs. A thatched stone summer house faces sweeping lawns that lead between island beds of

unusual shrubs and herbaceous plants down to a lake. The Woodland garden created in a Roman clay

pit has great trees, ponds and a Bog garden. The Millenium Garden features ponds waterfalls and a

formal rill which leads your eye to the magnificent valley and hills beyond. There is also a Wildflower

Meadow and a new Grasses Garden featuring swaths

of tall waving grasses and perennials. A real gem

secluded in the beautiful Devon countryside.

LYTES CARY is the birthplace of herbalist Henry Lyte whose 1578 compendium `Lytes Herbal’ which he

dedicated to Elizabeth l, was one of the most influential books on the natural world ever printed. It was

essentially a book of medicinal remedies based on plants and herbs, and you can see an original copy of

the book on display inside the manor house. The gardens are based on some of the illustrations of `Lytes

Herbal.’ There is a path leading up to the house bordered with fine topiaries, and mixed borders

planted with shrubs, perennials and roses. Hidden paths enclosed by high hedges lead to surprise views,

and beyond a formal orchard, open lawns and statues lead to a shady tunnel of hornbeam and a secret

garden.

Bishop’s Palace and Gardens was built in medieval times and has been home to Bishops of Bath and

Wells for over 800 years. Surrounded by a breath-taking moat, with resident swans that ring a bell

when they want to be fed, you can cross a flagstone drawbridge, walk under the portcullis and walk in

the footsteps of past bishops via a number of rooms within the palace. Outside, there are 14 acres of

beautiful gardens to enjoy including, formal plantings, an arboretum, a Victorian romantic garden with

ruins, a community garden, a contemporary garden of reflection where you can rest on a 40’ stone seat

and view restful plantings of grasses and silver birch, and a wells garden where ancient springs that give

the City of Wells its name are found. This year, Bishop’s Palace was made a Royal Horticultural Society

Partner Garden which is given to gardens with “outstanding and exceptionally high standards of planting

and design.”

HISTORIC CITY OF WELLS – WELLS CATHEDRAL. The name of this city comes from 3 wells dedicated to

St. Andrew, one in the town market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop’s Place. Wells is the

smallest city in England and the only one in Somerset. It has had city status since medieval times

because of the presence of Wells Cathedral within its city center. Largely built between the 12th and

14th centuries, the Cathedral is Anglican and dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is currently the seat

of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the mother church of the diocese and contains the Bishop’s throne.

Wells Cathedral is probably the finest national example of early English architecture and is famed for its

ancient stained glass, over 300 sculpted figures and carvings, and the Gothic inverted scissor arches of

its nave.

MILTON LODGE GARDENS were begun around 1900 by Mr. Charles Tudway, the present owner’s great

grandfather. Over a period of about 10 years, he transformed a sloping hillside into a series of 4

terraces specifically to capitalize on the magnificent views of Wells, its Cathedral and the Vale of Avalon.

The Upper Terrace has the best views over the valley, trees under-planted with wildflowers and bulbs,

and 4 cannons from the Napoleonic Wars. The Central Terrace has a mixture of perennials and shrubs,

and a Lily Pond. The Sundial Terrace features a finely balanced long border of roses, lawn and yews. In

addition to the formal terraced gardens there is a Combe, an 8 acre arboretum providing an oasis of

peace and calm that borders on the city of Wells. It features a 100’ chestnut, a beech with a 14 foot

girth, a Cedar of Lebanon and a handkerchief tree brought back from China around 1900.

STONEHENGE is the world’s most famous prehistoric site and England’s greatest national icon. Its

original purpose is unknown and speculations include temple for ancient deities, astronomical

observatory and sacred burial site. The site visible today is in ruin. Its construction was in several

phases. Approximately 5000 years ago a large earthwork; a bank and ditch called a henge was

constructed by people from the late Neolithic period. Small bluestones which comprise the inner circle

were set up about 2000 BC. They weigh 4 tons each and are thought to be from the Prescelly Mountains

in Wales, 240 miles away. The giant sarsen stones, which form the outer circle, weigh 50 tons each and

come from the Marlborough Downs, 20 miles away. The construction of Stonehenge is considered a

major engineering feat and there are many theories on how

the stones were moved and placed on the site, which was

probably completed around 1500 BC.

Situated in a vast plain, surrounded by hundreds of round

barrows, or burial mounds, the Stonehenge site is truly

impressive. Some people see it as a place steeped in magic

and mystery, and others hold it to be a sacred place.

WISLEY is the flagship garden of the Royal

Horticultural Society. A gift to the RHS in 1903

the gardens have expanded to cover over 200

acres with the aim to inspire and educate.

Highlights include: the Glasshouse with its huge

cathedral-like structure equal in size to 10

tennis courts, the famous and much

photographed Mixed Borders running a massive

420 feet in length, the delightful woodland

gardens found on Battleston Hill, the

Glasshouse Borders inspired by the North

American prairie-style plantings of Piet Oudolf,

and the Demonstration and Model Gardens

reflecting changing styles and new techniques

on a realizable scale. Undoubtedly one of the

greatest gardens in the world, Wisley serves as

a working encyclopedia for gardeners of all

levels.