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The Cotswolds are home to a whole host of world class gardens renowned for their design, history or – in some cases their royal heritage! They’re fabulous from the earliest spring days to late autumn and as well as the variety in style – there’s a whole range of ways getting there to soak up the sights and sounds. And it’s in the height of summer that they really come into their own…..
The breathtaking gardens at Sudeley Castle are a horticultural gem in the heart of the Cotswolds, surrounded by a beautiful 1200 acre estate. From the tranquility of the Knot Garden, the intimacy and beauty of the Secret Garden or the magnificence and grandeur of the Queen’s Garden, there’s a vast array of flowers, shrubs, trees and herbs to delight the senses. The gardens have been restored and redesigned to compliment the castle and the summer highlight must be the blooming of more than 80 varieties of rose.
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Stroll around the Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford, where the stunning gardens and themed borders make a beautiful backdrop to the animals. Admire the picturesque parkland with mature specimen trees and spacious lawns, smell the roses on the terrace of the Gothic Manor House overlooking the rhino paddock or take a trip into the rainforest in the Tropical House, with exotic planting and free-roaming sloths, bats and birds. During the summer the Old Walled Garden is filled with cannas, bananas and other exotic plants whilst the arid beds next to the Meerkats are filled with succulents and cacti.
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Batsford Arboretum, just a mile and a half from historic Moreton in Marsh, is the perfect place to escape the blazing heat of summer. Wander beneath the gorgeous calming leaves of the incredible botanical collection or find a quiet place to soak up the amazing views across the Evenlode Valley. Don’t forget to pay a visit to the garden centre and gift shop or enjoy an al fresco lunch or afternoon tea at the Garden Terrace Café.
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Discover the best gardens by slow travel on The Carter Company’s Cotswold Gardens cycling holiday. This gentle, self-guided, six-night cycling jolly is designed to give you plenty of time to fully explore a handpicked selection of wonderful gardens – starting with the college gardens of Oxford and then moving onto explore Blenheim Palace, Rousham House with its stunning William Kent designed landscape, Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Court Gardens. End each day with stays in historic inns or luxury hotels with your luggage awaiting you.
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Summer at Hidcote Manor Gardens is a very special time of year. Around each turn there’s a new experience, from overflowing planting in an array of colours in the old garden borders, to the meditative sound and tropical warmth of the stream. It’s the perfect garden for a summer day, with the beautiful estate walk taking in views across the Vale of Evesham towards Broadway Tower – or if you fancy something a little more adventurous, how about a game of croquet or tennis during your visit?
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The picture-perfect British stately home of Blenheim Palace sits among more than 2000 acres of extraordinary landscaped parkland and formal gardens. The inspired work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown has created a lasting legacy in the park while the Formal Gardens surrounding the palace include the majestic Water Terraces, the Duke’s private Italian Garden, the tranquil Secret Garden, the beautifully delicate Rose Garden and the new Churchill Memorial Garden.
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To make time to visit all the gorgeous gardens of the Cotswolds, why not stay at Lavendrye Barn – one of Mulberry Cottages perfect little hideouts for two with stunning panoramic views. Located on the edge of the picturesque Forest of Dean within a wildflower meadow and walled garden, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy the glorious countryside around you. With a pond at the end of the garden and a bench nearby, you can enjoy peace and tranquillity Cotswolds-style.
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Described as the most beautiful place in England, Owlpen Manor is set in its own private valley on the edge of the Cotswold hills. The terraced gardens are developed around an early formal garden on a manorial scale, including highlights like the magnificent yew topiary, old roses and box parterres. Owlpen has been much-admired by many distinguished garden designers including Gertrude Jekyll, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, Vita Sackville-West and, most recently Alan Titchmarsh. Visitors are also able to walk around the medieval mill pond and boating lake.
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Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is a breathtaking garden of trees, holding a world renowned collection of rare and remarkable trees from the far corners of the globe. Its diverse tree collection and picturesque landscape make it a unique space to escape, relax and take in the beauty of the natural world. With a wide variety of guided walks, walking trails and family activities onsite, there is something for everyone to enjoy, but not to be missed is the STIHL Treetop Walkway – a 300 metre long and 13 metre high walkway which allows visitors to take a magical walk through the tree canopy.
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Described by Monty Don as his favourite garden in the UK, Rousham is a historic gem and full to bursting with summer colour. Discover the beautiful William Kent designed landscape and stroll through the orchard, kitchen garden and beautiful rose garden. This charming, quintessentially English garden is the perfect place to enjoy a tranquil picnic by the river or to lose yourself in the wandering pathways. No dogs or children under 15 though please!
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Pay a visit to beautiful Berkeley Castle and you’ll be amazed to discover eight acres of expansive grounds and gardens. Enjoy the Butterfly House with tropical plants and butterflies, or wander through the bountiful kitchen garden or the rose walk with heavily scented blooms in high summer. There’s also a woodland grove with dappled shade and towering trees, gun terraces with beautiful blowsy herbaceous borders and sweeping lawns, as well as the tranquil lily pond – first built to be enjoyed as a swimming pool by the last Earl and his American Countess.
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Highgrove is the stunning private residence of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Over the last 38 years The Prince has transformed the grounds into some of the most inspiring and innovative gardens in the country. The Royal Gardens at Highgrove are open for tours from April to October each year, giving visitors an unforgettable experience discovering how the future king has transformed a landscape which was once merely a lawn into an ever-changing canvas of magnificent garden scenes.
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Dyrham Park (NT) offers the formality of 17th century style planting in borders and frames set against pool gardens, informal orchards and rich wildflower meadows. The shady wooded terraces walk takes visitors up into the wider landscape of the deer park with its breath-taking views over the Welsh hills. Dyrham’s new tea garden is a pretty, sunny, outdoor area with plenty of new umbrellas for those preferring a bit of shade. June sees a series of garden lectures and workshops and there are free daily tours of the garden and ancient parkland led by our rangers all year round.
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Kiftsgate Court Gardens have been run and developed by the same family since 1919. In fact three generations of women gardeners have created and looked after this stunning garden, each adding and enhancing it over the years. Situated on the edge of the Cotswolds overlooking the Evesham Vale, it offers marvellous views and is full of unusual plants. There’s something of interest to see whatever the season with the Kiftsgate rose, which originated there, now one of the largest climbing roses in England.
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The Enchanted Walk gardens at Fairytale Farm are designed to tickle your senses and delight young and old! Beautiful flowers and plants provide a backdrop to a series of interactive features including the Mermaid Garden, Wheel of Scent, Sensory Garden, Lavender Walk and Fairy Dell. Designed by a Cotswold based landscape architect in 2012, the gardens are now starting to mature and become a feature in their own right. Where else would you find a garden with a fairy that forecasts the weather?
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Award-winning gardens surrounding Castle and medieval ruins. Exhibitions, rare-breeds pheasantry, restaurant & cafe, adventure play area.
Get eye-to-eye with giraffes, watch rhinos grazing on the Gothic manor House lawns or walk with lemurs. With over 260 different animal species in over 120 acres of beautiful Parkland & gardens, there's plenty of space to relax and get closer to wildlife!
Beautiful Batsford – a wild garden for all seasons. 56 acres of breathtaking woodland garden, Batsford is a world of trees and so much more. Visit our award-winning visitor centre Gift & Garden Shop, Plant Centre & Garden Terrace Café.
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