English Garden Visits

As we have been mulling over what we would like from our garden (pick a cliche: “Grand Design” perhaps?) we have been to visit other gardens. The big stately homes are generally not suitable for our inspiration. Great for a long walk, and to marvel at what the likes of Capability Brown laid out, but not only a tight fit for our modest garden, completely inappropriate too.

We also shun contemporary gardens. And architecture. I don’t see anything that was Wow!-Modern! 20 years ago that looks anything other than crap now. Maddens me the architects taking umbridge at what they perceive is Prince Charles’ bigoted view. I challenge them to build anything “modern” that will be admired in a 100 years time (or even still standing). I digress – suffice to say that we aren’t into Contemporary garden design.

There are gardens I have wanted to visit for years, but they are far away and even when I have been in that part of the country I’ve never been smart enough to tack-on some garden visiting time, until now so this year we have visited Hidcote Manor for the first time, and I will also make the pilgrimage to Sissinghurst too (although Grim is probably the operative word as I read that it is so hard to get a sense of the place because the limit on the number of people they let in is in the Hoards rather than the Small Groups category). Ho hum …

We have been to see:
Helmingham Hall (Article not written yet – sorry!) 08-Jun-2008
Beth Chatto Garden 09-Aug-2008
East Ruston Old Vicarage 15-Aug-2010
Hidcote Manor Garden 12-Sep-2010
Kiftsgate Court Garden 12-Sep-2010

If you have any gardens that you recommend, and might be regarded as “intimate”, but of a decent size too, please let me know.