Treasures of the South West
If your summer holiday plans take you to Devon or Dorset, have your RHS membership card at the ready - the South West is home to a range of RHS Partner Gardens that are well worth discovering. Here are four ideas for your itinerary, each offering free entry to RHS members in August (check the RHS Members' Handbook for full details).
Compton Acres, near Poole
For vibrant, Mediterranean style without the need for a passport, visit the Italian Garden at Compton Acres near Poole. Its formal pool and fountain, hot displays of orange and yellow begonias, statuary and Italian-style villa all create a sunny holiday feel. The effect is heightened by the fact that the garden is reached via a limestone tunnel, making the scene all the more dazzling as you emerge. For more colour head for the Harbour View area, planted with a sea of 1,000 ‘Antigua Yellow’ marigolds. Or, for something softer, the Japanese garden awaits with a picturesque Imperial Tea House, authentic statues and serene koi carp.
Kingston Maurward, near Dorchester
With its grand herbaceous borders, sweeping lawns and lake, the gardens at Kingston Maurward near Dorchester make an inspiring day out. The 14ha (35 acre) gardens were created in the Arts and Crafts style and feature a series of themed gardens – looking particularly good in August are the subtropical bedding schemes filled with bananas, castor oil plants, abutilons and paulownias. Elsewhere you can see colourful National Plant Collections of Penstemons and Salvias, which show the huge diversity in colours, sizes and habits. Families can also enjoy the adjacent animal park where they can meet goats, pot bellied pigs and alpacas.
The Garden House, Dartmoor
You might just need your sunglasses when exploring the vibrant 500sq m poppy meadow at The Garden House, on the western edge of Dartmoor. The gardens team spread half a kilogram of Eschscholzia (California poppy) seed, along with belts of Papaver rhoeas (common poppy), and the result is truly memorable.
The Bottom Terrace is also spectacular in summer – the twin 70m borders are planted with a ‘moody’ scheme of dark foliage and flowers in pinks, reds, pale yellows and mauves. And don’t miss the naturalistic Cottage Garden, where a dreamy mix of annuals and perennials is allowed to intermingle. Look for early asters, Verbena bonariensis, evening primrose, and even carrots and oregano.