Gardens Illustrated: New Dorset Gardens

This tour starts at Yeovil Junction Railway Station at 12:00 or at Summer Lodge at 12:30 for those who prefer to join us at the hotel. After a light lunch, we make our way to Pugin Hall for an introduction to Dorset’s gardens. The house was designed by the Victorian architect Augustus Pugin (also architect of the Palace of Westminster) and its garden features a walled kitchen garden.  Nearby is Broomhill, a farmyard turned garden where the richly planted borders are filled with unusual herbaceous plants and roses. We then return to Summer Lodge with plenty of time to settle in before an evening meal together.

The Old Rectory in the village of Litton Cheney enjoys a magnificent setting, with views out to rolling hills and vineyards beyond. Steep paths lead to natural woodland with many clear springs, streams, and pools, one a natural swimming pool planted with native plants. We see the hand of garden designer Arne Maynard in a pleached crab-tree screen and topiary, complemented by soft planting of peonies and roses. As we walk past the small kitchen garden, we will glimpse a designed rose nursery: the owner has a passion for producing rose bouquets. There follows a special invitation to lunch before travelling on to Chideock Manor, a Regency manor surrounded by varied gardens, including a parterre and rose arches. Our third garden today will be a beautiful private country garden in a charming South Dorset village, surrounded by a large cider orchard. We return to the hotel with time to change before dining together at The Acorn Inn, a few steps down the lane in Evershot.

We start the day with a private garden on the edge of the coastal town of Lyme Regis. Laid out on a slope, this garden is brimming with exotic plants and has far-reaching views out to sea. Just across the border into Devon we visit River Cottage HQ, the old farmhouse, garden, kitchen classroom and headquarters of writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his enthusiastic team. We explore the organic smallholding with its beautiful, productive ‘no-dig’ walled garden before sitting down to a delicious lunch, straight from the garden. In the afternoon we return via Charles Chesshire’s Rare & Special Plant Nursery which offers a wide range of plants including clematis, species hydrangeas and intersectional peonies. We then travel back to Summer Lodge for our final dinner together.

Our first visit today is John and Jennie Makepeace’s garden, The Farrs, hidden behind a topiary hedge in the centre of Beaminster. This is a garden in two parts: ‘hers’ is floriferous and sweet-smelling, while ‘his’ is a contemporary creation of simplicity and beauty. Lunch is at Slape Manor, where the garden transformation is being designed by the Urquhart and Hunt partnership who won ‘Best in Show’ at Chelsea 2022 for their rewilding garden. We also meet its head gardener, Hannah Gardner, a regular contributor to Gardens Illustrated. Finally, we head to Upper Sydling House, a richly planted garden in a remote valley designed by Isabel and Julian Bannerman and further developed by its current owner. Return to collect cars at Summer Lodge at 15:45 and to Yeovil Junction Railway Station for 16:00.