THE TELEGRAPH: Gardens of Somerset

This tour starts at Bristol Parkway Railway Station at 11:00 convenient for those wishing to arrive by train but please note that the station also offers plenty of parking facilities.  We journey together by coach to the Yeo Valley Organic Garden on Holt Farm, surrounded by rich dairy pastures. Here we find a series of tightly themed enclosures that expand and mellow to a wonderful flower garden wrapping around the owner’s home with views across Blagdon Lake to the soft rolling hills beyond. Following lunch, we travel to The Bishops Palace, right in the heart of the cathedral city of Wells, richly planted with colourful borders surrounding the ruins of the Great Hall and the original St Andrew’s Well.    We drive to Summer Lodge with time to settle in before an evening meal together with wine included in the hotel restaurant.

It is now fifty years since the death of plantswoman Margery Fish, but her books are still read and her influence lives on. East Lambrook Manor is where she created her cottage garden and where she also wrote her eight classic gardening books. The current owners of the garden, Mike & Gail Werkmeister, maintain the original ethos by keeping the emphasis on cottage garden plants and shade loving perennials. At nearby Yews Farm Louise and Fergus Dowding have invited us to lunch in the large and organic garden behind their village farmhouse. The lush planting continues into the potager, and even into the farmyard beyond.    Return to the hotel with time to change before a pre-dinner talk by Abigail Willis, author of the new book “Secret Gardens of Somerset” who will join us for dinner at The Acorn Inn, a few steps up the lane.

The new gardening buzz in the West Country is The Newt. Here we are introduced to the extraordinary walled garden, flower borders and kitchen garden and learn how the wonderful array of top fruits are being trained to be productive and decorative. Lunch is included before journeying on to a nearby contemporary garden. Return to Summer Lodge for our final dinner together.

Batcombe House is the home of garden designer Libby Russsell who for years worked closely with Arabella Lennox-Boyd. Her own large country garden contains several garden areas including a contemporary grass amphitheater. After lunch At the Chapel in the picturesque town of Bruton, we travel on to Iford Manor just tucked into the northeastern boundary of the county. Former home of early 20th century garden designer Harold Peto. Today his Italian garden is beautifully maintained and developed by its present owners William and Marianne Cartwright-Hignett together with head gardener Troy Scott Smith. Return to Bristol Parkway Railway Station for 17:00.