01271 375002
Small personal guided tours, visiting private & great gardens on the scenic north coast of Devon, Somerset & Cornwall, leisurely pace, exclusive accommodation package available.
See list of garden destinations by country & Garden Festivals and Flower Shows in England
Gardening is more popular in England than in any other country. This is partly because the climate is never very cold and partly because it is never very hot. One usually has to be up and doing something. Another reason for the popularity of gardening is that Britain's territory was physically secure from an earlier date than other European countries, because of its choppy seas and powerful navy. English towns could spread beyond their medieval walls much earlier than in continental Europe. Instead of apartment blocks, the typical English dwelling was a small house with a small garden. The aristocracy always wanted 'a place in the country' for the summer and a town house for the winter.
England has some wonderful cloister gardens attached to the great cathedrals. The best are simple rectangles of grass. England also has many castles - but no ancient castle gardens. Nor are there many renaissance survivals. There are baroque gardens but not nearly so many as in France and Germany. But from the eighteenth century onwards Britain has excellent examples of most styles of garden design.