Gorgeous gardens to visit in bloom …
Kent, England
Mr McGregor’s garden in Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Benjamin Bunny is my earliest gardening memory. This kitchen garden with greenhouses and a potting shed was inspired by a villa the Potter family regularly rented in the Lake District. I have yet to see Miss Potter’s cottage garden at Hill Top Farm but when I do, I’ll stay at Langdale Chase Hotel overlooking Lake Windermere. Vita Sackville-West’s “white garden” at Sissinghurst Castle, Kent and the bucolic retreats of Gravetye Manor, West Sussex and The Newt in Somerset are also on my must-visit list.
London, England
I might be on trend. “Horti-culturalist” is the new name to describe those who travel to take in floral or gardening events. There will be an influx of this discerning tribe to London for the Chelsea Flower Show, the catwalk of the garden world, where fashion and jewellery brands ME+EM and Boodles are sponsoring show gardens. The planting notes for Boodles’ Raindance Garden describe a backdrop of ferns, with flowers such as Astrantia ‘Shaggy’ and Paeonia ‘Noémie Demay’ “standing out like gemstones”. Another gem is Montcalm in Mayfair where nature-inspired elements have informed every aspect of the hotel’s design including its Ayurvedic spa with soundscapes echoing woodlands.
Ayshire, Scotland
I recommend Glenapp Castle, in Ayrshire, Scotland, where the Italian gardens were designed by the esteemed Gertrude Jekyll. This month the hotel’s new restaurant, The Azalea, opens in the Walled Garden in the estate’s historic Victorian Glasshouse and Bothy. From £395stg.
Kyoto, Japan
Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri chose Toji Temple in Kyoto as the setting for her recent AW25 show, a tribute to Mr Dior’s passion for Japan. Irish hotelier Paddy McKillen’s nine-suite boutique hotel, The Shinmonzen, is in the city’s Gion area on a quiet street peppered with antique shops. It’s the definition of an urban oasis, designed by Tadao Ando, and decorated with pieces from McKillen’s impressive art collection which includes Damien Hirst.
Cork, Ireland
Chelsea Gold Medal winner Mary Reynolds designed the gardens of Fernhill House, part of the West Cork Garden Trail. They blend Georgian design with sustainable gardening practices and provide organic produce for the hotel’s restaurant, a true garden-to-table experience. From €179.
Galway, Ireland
Finally, I plan to reread Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca at Cashel House, Co Galway. Who can forget the opening: “Rhododendrons stood fifty feet high along the abandoned drive to Manderley …” Cashel House’s lush rhodendendrons, azaleas and rare plants are the perfect backdrop. From €190 per night.