My deep-rooted passion for gardening took hold of me approximately three years ago. I had just completed Monty Don’s series, Big Dreams Small Spaces, and purchased my first houseplant for my 592 square foot apartment. At an early age, I understood the aesthetic quality of plants while watching my father garden at my childhood home, but I was unaware that flowers filled more than our senses. However, the tendrils of the clematis eventually bound to my soul, grasping tighter each summer until I surrendered. Every Saturday morning for the last three years, I tune into the UK’s favorite gardening program, Gardeners’ World, which I feel I can attribute some of my ever-growing admiration for all plants and my unrelenting hope for a flower-filled future. Born from daydreams of travel to England during Isolation, here is a list of English gardens organized by the regions and counties of England for the garden enthusiast to digitally explore and incorporate into future travels. 

Sweet letters of the angel tongue,
I’ve loved ye long and well,
And never have failed in your fragrance sweet
To find some secret spell,
A charm that has bound me with witching power,
For mine is the old belief,
That midst your sweets and midst your bloom,
There’s a soul in every leaf!

M. M. Ballou, Flowers.

Northern England

Cumbria 

— Acorn Bank

—Askham Hall Gardens

— Brantwood Gardens

— Dalemain Gardens

— Holker Hall Gardens

—Hutton-in-the-Forest

— Larch Cottage Nurseries & Garden

— Lowther Castle & Gardens

—Mirehouse Gardens

— Muncaster Castle Gardens

— Rydal Mount & Gardens

— Sizergh Castle and Gardens

— Winderwath Gardens

————–

Durham 

— Crook Hall & Gardens

— Durham University Botanic Garden

—Eggleston Hall Nursery & Gardens

————–

East Yorkshire

— Burton Constable Gardens

— Burnby Hall Gardens

— Wassand Walled Garden & Woodland

————–

Isle of Man 

— Milntown Estate & Gardens

————–

Lancashire 

— Hoghton Tower Gardens

— Leighton Hall Gardens

— Martin Mere Wetland Centre

—The Ridges Gardens

————–

Lancaster

— Cobble Hey Farm & Gardens

————–

Northumberland 

— The Alnwick Garden

—Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens

— Bide-a-Wee Cottage Gardens 

— Dilston Physic Garden

— Longframlington Gardens

————–

North Yorkshire 

—Bolton Castle Gardens

— Helmsley Walled Garden

—  Kiplin Hall Gardens

— Millgate House Gardens

—Mount Grace Priory, House & Gardens

— Newby Hall Gardens

— Parcevall Hall Gardens

— Ripley Castle Gardens

— Scampston Walled Garden

—Shandy Hall Gardens 

— Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens & Nurseries

— Thorp Perrow

“Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.”

Elizabeth Murray

South Yorkshire

— Brodsworth Hall & Gardens

————–

Tyne & Wear

— Birkheads Secret Gardens & Nursery

— Gibside

— Washington Wetland Centre

————–

West Yorkshire

— Harewood House

— York Gate

————–

Yorkshire 

— The Yorkshire Arboretum

Central England

Cambridgeshire 

— Chippenham Park 

— Elgood’s Brewery Garden

— The Manor, Hemingford Grey

————–

Cheshire

— Abbeywood Gardens

— Arley Hall & Gardens

— Bluebell Cottage Gardens 

— Capesthorne Hall

— Cholmondeley Castle Gardens

— Gawsworth Hall & Gardens 

— Lane End Cottage Gardens

— The Lovell Quinta Arboretum & Nature Reserve

— Lyme

— Mount Pleasant Gardens 

— Ness Botanic Gardens

— Norton Priory Museum & Gardens  

— Rode Hall Gardens 

— Stonyford Cottage Gardens

— Tatton Park

————–

Derbyshire 

— Cascades Gardens

—Haddon Hall 

— The Hannah Bennett Sculpture Garden

— Melbourne Hall Gardens

— Renishaw Hall Gardens

— Thornbridge Hall Gardens

“Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.”

Henry Mitchell

Herefordshire 

— Aulden Farm

— Berrington Hall

— Brobury House Gardens

— Bryan’s Ground

— Croft Castle & Parkland

— Eastnor Castle

— Hampton Court Castle Gardens & Parkland 

— Hellens Manor Gardens

— Hergest Croft Gardens

— Ivy Croft Garden

— Kentchurch Court Gardens

— Moors Meadow Garden

— The Picton Garden

— Ralph Court Gardens

————–

Leicestershire

— BlueBell Arboretum & Nursery

— Rockingham Castle

————–

Lincolnshire

— Doddington Hall Gardens

— Easton Walled Gardens 

— Goltho Gardens 

— Grimsthorpe Castle

— Gunby Hall Gardens

— Hall Farm Garden

— Normanby Hall Country

————–

Norfolk

— Bressingham Gardens 

— Fairhaven Woodland & Water Garden

— Hindringham Hall Gardens

— Houghton Hall Walled Garden

— Mannington Gardens

— Pensthorpe Natural Park 

— Priory Maze & Gardens

— Stody Lodge Gardens 

— Stow Hall Gardens

— Walsingham Abbey Grounds

————–

Northamptonshire

— Boughton House Gardens

— Castle Ashby Gardens

— Coton Manor Garden

— Deene Park

—Evenley Wood Garden

— Felley Priory Gardens 

— Holdenby House Gardens

— Lamport Hall Gardens

— The Old Rectory Gardens 

————–

North Lincolnshire

— Elsham Hall Gardens & Country

— Mill Farm Garden

————–

Shropshire 

— Dudmaston

— Hodnet Hall Gardens

— Dorothy Clive Garden

— Weston Park 

— Wollerton Old Hall Garden

————–

Staffordshire

— Middleton Hall & Gardens

— Shugborough Estate

————–

Suffolk 

— Henstead Exotic Garden 

— Ickworth

— Kentwell Hall Gardens

— The Place For Plants – East Bergholt Place Garden

— Helmingham Hall Gardens 

— Wyken Hall Gardens 

————–

Rutland

— Barnsdale Gardens

————–

Warwickshire

— Compton Verney Art Gallery & Park 

— Hill Close Gardens

— Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden

— Packwood House

— Shakespeare Family Homes – Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens 

— Shakespeare Family Homes – Hall’s Croft

— Shakespeare Family Homes – Mary Arden’s Farm

— Shakespeare Family Homes – Shakespeare’s New Place

— Stoneleigh Abbey Country Park

— Upton House & Gardens

— Warwick Castle

————-

West Midlands

— Birmingham Botanical Gardens

— Castle Bromwich Hall

— Secret Quarry Garden

— Winterbourne House & Garden

————-

Worcestershire

— Arley Arboretum & Gardens

— Stone House Cottage Garden

— Witley Court & Gardens

— Whitlenge Gardens

South-West England

Bath

— American Museum & Gardens

————-

Bristol

— University of Bristol Botanic Garden 

Cornwall

— Antony Woodland Garden

— Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden

— Bonython Estate Gardens

— Bosahan Garden

— Bosvigo Gardens

— Caerhays Castle Gardens

— Eden Project

— Enys Gardens

— Hidden Valley Gardens 

— The Japanese Garden

— Ken-Caro

— Lanterns

— Marsh Villa Gardens 

— Moyclare Garden 

— Pencarrow Gardens

— Penjerrick Garden

— Pinetum Gardens 

— Prideaux Place Gardens

— Roseland House Garden

— Tanglewood Wild Garden

— Trebah Garden

— Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

— Trewidden Garden

————-

Devon 

— Athelhampton House & Gardens

— Broomhill Art Hotel & Sculpture Gardens

— Burrow Farm Gardens

— Cadhay

— Castle Hill Gardens 

— Fast Rabbit Farm Garden

— Fursdon

— Hotel Endsleigh

— Lukesland Gardens

— Marwood Hill Gardens

— Plant World Gardens

— Stone Lane Gardens

— Tapeley Park & Gardens

— Tiverton Castle

— Ugbrooke House & Gardens

————-

Dorset

— Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

— Bennetts Water Gardens

— Compton Acres

— Edmondsham House & Gardens

— The Garden House 

— Hartland Abbey Gardens

— Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

— Knoll Gardens 

— Mapperton Gardens

— Shaftesbury Abbey Museum & Garden

————-

Gloucestershire 

— Batsford Arboretum

— Bourton House Garden

— Cerney House Gardens

— Cotswold Sculpture Park

— Highnam Court Gardens

— Kiftsgate Court 

— Painswick Rococo Garden

— Puzzlewood

— Slimbridge Wetland Centre

— Sudeley Castle & Gardens

————-

Somerset 

— The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens

— Cothay Manor Gardens

— East Lambrook Manor Gardens

— Greencombe Gardens

— Hestercombe Garden

— Kilver Court Gardens

— Midney Gardens

— Milton Lodge Gardens 

— Town Tree Nature Garden

— The Walled Gardens of Cannington

— Yeo Valley Organic Garden

————-

Wiltshire 

— Arundells

— Bowood House & Gardens

— Bowood Woodland Garden

— Iford Manor Gardens

— Larmer Tree Gardens

— Lydiard Park Walled Garden 

South-East England

Bedfordshire 

— Kathy Brown’s Garde at the Manor House

— Shuttleworth Swiss Garden

— Wrest Park 

————-

Berkshire 

— Dorney Court

————-

Buckinghamshire

— Chenies Manor House & Gardens

—Chiltern Open Air Museum 

— Cowper & Newton Museum & Gardens

— Waddesdon Manor Gardens

————-

East Sussex

— Charleston Garden

— Driftwood Garden

— Great Dixter Gardens

— King John’s Nursery & Garden

— Merriments Gardens

— Michelham Priory House & Gardens

— Pashley Manor Gardens

— Sheffield Park & Garden

————-

Essex

— Audley End House & Gardens

— Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens

— The Gardens of Easton Lodge

— The Gibberd Garden

— Green Island Gardens

— Hedingham Castle

— Layer Marney Tower

— Markshall Estate

————-

Hampshire

— Apple Court Garden

— Chawton House Gardens

— Furzey Gardens

— Gilbert White & The Oates Collections

— Houghton Lodge Gardens

— The Manor House, Upton Grey

— Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

— West Green House Gardens

————-

Hertfordshire

— Gotha Gardens at Pembroke Farm

— Henry Moore Studios & Gardens

— St Paul’s Walden Bury

————-

Isle of Wight

— Carisbrooke Castle

— Osborne 

— Ventnor Botanic Garden

————-

Kent

— Beech Court Gardens 

— Belmont Gardens 

— Brogdale – National Fruit Collection

— Chiddingstone Castle

— Doddington Place Gardens

— Down House (Home of Charles Darwin)

— Goodnestone Park Gardens

— Great Comp Garden

— Hever Castle & Gardens

— Hole Park Gardens 

— Ightham Mote

— Leeds Castle

— Lullingstone Castle & The World Garden

— Mount Ephraim Gardens

— Old Bladbean Stud Gardens

— Penshurst Place Gardens

— Restoration House

— Riverhill Himalayan Gardens

— Walmer Castle & Gardens

— Quex Gardens

————-

London

— Chelsea Physic Garden

— Eltham Palace & Garden

————-

Middlesex

— Capel Manor Gardens

— Osterley Park & House

— Syon Park Gardens

————-

Oxfordshire 

— Broughton Castle

— Broughton Grange Gardens

— Cogges Manor Farm

— Kingston Bagpuize House & Gardens

— Oxford Botanic Garden 

— Rousham

— Stonor Park, Gardens & Wonder Woods

— Sulgrave Manor

— Waterperry Gardens

— University of Oxford Harcourt Arboretum

————-

Surrey

— Gatton Park

— The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden

— Kew Gardens

— Loseley Park

— Painshill

— Polesden Lacey

— Ramster Garden

— The Savill Garden

— Vann

————-

Sussex

— Anne of Cleves House 

— Herstmonceux Castle Gardens & Grounds 

————-

West Sussex

— Arundel Castle Gardens

     YouTube videos with head gardener Martin Duncan 

— Arundel Wetland Centre

— Borde Hill Garden

— Denmans Garden

— Fishbourne Roman Palace & Garden

— High Beeches Garden

— Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens

— Nymans 

— Parham House Gardens

— St. Mary’s House & Gardens 

— Sussex Prairie Gardens

— Wakehurst

— Weald & Downland Living Museum 

— West Dean Gardens

— Woolbeding Gardens

Relevant Reading List

Shakespeare’s Gardens by Jackie Bennett

The Quest for Shakespeare’s Garden by Roy Strong

Gardens of the Arts and Crafts Movement by Judith B. Tankard

The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening  by Monty Don

Wild Flowers: Nature’s Own to Garden Grown by Carol Klein

The Writer’s Garden: How Gardens Inspired our Best-loved Authors by Jackie Bennett and Richard Hanson

The Artist’s Garden: The secret spaces that inspired great art by Jackie Bennett

Which English gardens are you planning to visit?