You may think that gardens are asleep during the winter, but this selection of winter gardens are full of interest and colour. Each one has a lot to offer visitors in winter and are a perfect location for a winter walk.
We are able to create a bespoke garden group tour so you can follow your horticultural passions and here are a selection of our favourites to visit.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall have more than 80 ha to explore throughout the year. During the winter months the gardens have many highlights, including cyclamen, early camellias, hellbores, fuchsias, and carpets of snowdrops throughout January. www.heligan.com
Mottisfont, near Romsey in Hampshire is perfect to explore during the winter months. In the Winter Garden there are more than 5,000 plants and shrubs and over 80,000 bulbs which all combine to give a beautiful colour and scent. As autumn turns into winter the garden becomes a haven of late-flowering shrubs and sweet-smelling winter honeysuckle. It makes a great family day out with wonderful walks. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont
Stowe, Buckinghamshire has over 101ha of lawns, lakes and woods to explore and is perfect for a walk on a crisp and frosty winter’s day. Stowe is regarded as one of the great English Landscape gardens with many trails and temples scattered across the grounds, winding paths, lakeside walks and stunning views. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stowe
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a great place to visit in the winter, with the ornamental grasses and woody plants at their best. There are winter bulbs such as early iris and crocus in the Alpine House, snowdrops in the Rock Garden and wonderful colours of tree bark in the arboretum. If the weather is wet, then you can visit the wonderful glasshouses or the Princess of Wales Conservatory. www.kew.org
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, Hampshire has over 72 ha of gardens with colour and interest throughout the year. The Winter Garden has over 650 different plants grown to be at their best between November and March, the Garden which covers more than 1.6ha is one of the largest winter gardens in Europe. www.hilliergardens.org.uk
