What's best in the garden

Discover the Winter Wonders of the South East's Gardens

Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire

It's easy to see why so many great houses sprang up in the Buckinghamshire countryside. The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is centred here around the picturesque valley towns of Wendover, Old Amersham, Princes Risborough and Beaconsfield, its wooded slopes and heady hilltops criss-crossed by secluded footpaths and country lanes. Disraeli made his home at Hughenden Manor, where Mrs Disraeli created a garden in High-Victorian style. Peaceful pastures around historic Buckingham and the River Ouse served as the setting for Stowe Landscape Garden, 'Capability' Brown's first commission.

Find out more about the Gardens of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire

Surrey

18th Century designer 'Capability Brown' uniquely transformed the grounds of many South East country houses, particularly in Surrey and Sussex into 'structured' landscapes with wide views across lakes and parkland to vistas of planted trees. By the 1880's, garden designer Gertrude Jekyll had re-introduced plants and geometrical beds with clear boundaries between enclosures as part of the Arts and Crafts style.

Find out more about the Gardens of Surrey

Hampshire

With a broad range of parks to suit every taste, Hampshire is a horticulturalist's paradise. There are some world-famous examples including the National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey and the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens which can offer inspiration and beauty to the observer. 150 private gardens in Hampshire, selected on quality and excellence, take part in the National Gardens Scheme. Their owners generously open them on specific days.

Find out more about the Gardens of Hampshire

Sussex

There are many fine gardens to visit in East Sussex - usually complemented by a beautiful old manor-house or stately home which doubles the pleasure of a visit. Enjoy the formal gardens of Groombridge Place.
The nineteenth century saw many plant-hunting expeditions to the Himalayas and further afield by members of the Loder, Stephenson Clarke and Messel families.

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Kent

A stunning variety of landscapes await the visitor to Kent, from the eerie Romney Marsh that were once entirely under water and the rolling splendour of the High Weald, to the beautiful gardens of the Garden of England's many castles and stately homes.

Find out more about the Gardens of Kent