England’s Finest Gardens with Jane and Bill Forbes

Jane and Bill Forbes at Gravetye Manor in Sussex

From Jane:
Bill and I traveled to England for the Chelsea Flower Show and a Great English Gardens tour.  As President of the German Village Garten Club, it was a pleasurable journey visiting some of England’s most beautiful country gardens coupled with my underlying mission to bring great ideas back to the Garten Club’s projects in German Village.

Over seven days we visited eleven locations throughout England. Beautiful garden representations from the 19th to the 21st century. It was a gardener’s trip of a lifetime!

The tour began with the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society in London. The floral affair offers an extravaganza of contemporary garden design, with stunning large displays, intriguing smaller gardens, nursery concepts, eye-popping balconies and planters, house plant studios, and horticultural introductions.

And then there’s the shopping!! Green houses, tiny houses for gardens, garden sculpture, furniture, water features, tools, stylish rain gear,
smart British garden party wear, Wellies in every color of the rainbow, and so on.

A Chelsea Flower Show Sanctuary Garden designed by Italian designer Guilio Giorgi. The World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden, is a sensory garden for children undergoing cancer treatment. Raised beds of 3D printed terracotta blocks fit together like Legos and are planted with soft and fragrant plants for kids and parents to enjoy. The garden can be easily reassembled in other urban areas near hospitals. After the show the garden will be moved to a home in Bristol where families with children undergoing cancer treatment are offered free lodging.

A Chelsea Flower Show Balcony Garden full of palms, huge ferns and flowering vines. Imagine this in a German Village garden!! Note the umbrellas, a constant in England.

Gravetye Manor in Sussex, is a country house and garden hotel with a Michelin Star restaurant where we had an amazing five-course lunch. The century old gardens have been restored by a leading British garden designer and have a 21st century twist.

 Rousham Garden is the only 18th-century garden on the tour. Amazing walled gardens, classic hedges, and exuberant plantings.

Many gardens had chickens and peacocks with cattle and horses nearby. These ladies at the Rousham garden had such great attitude!!

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens is from the 1930’s.  Above is the view from the castle tower, showing the panorama of English countryside. The garden represents the epitome of early 20th century English Garden design.

Great Dixter, the beloved early 20th-century garden, now re-envisioned with contemporary exuberant plantings. 

Hidcote Manor Garden. Themed garden “rooms" set the style that still influences today’s designers.

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British garden beds are astounding with abundant plants placed near each other and uninhibited color!

Pettifers is a private garden behind a stylish townhouse in Oxfordshire. Who could imagine such an expansive view. The owner, Gina Price, had little garden experience when she bought the property, but over two decades created a destination private garden with inspiring plantings.

Fairlight End is a remarkable private garden in Sussex near the English Channel coast. Chris and Robin Hutt hired designer Ian Kinston to create a remarkable sloped garden with Corten steel edged beds that contain wildflowers.  A style that is currently popular in England.

Kiftsgate Court Gardens in Gloucestershire is a private garden created by three generations of women since 1919.  Each generation has brought new concepts and innovative plantings to the garden. In the late 1990’s third generation Robin Lane-Fox converted an old tennis court into a modern water garden with sculpture by Simon Allison.

After touring the glorious gardens we relaxed for a week at Lucknam Park https://www.lucknampark.co.uk a historic manor home, now a hotel and spa, in Wiltshire about 2 hours west of London. We toured the Cotswolds, Oxford and Bath, but mostly enjoyed living in the amazing setting with a fabulous new restaurant. And horses grazing in the pasture!!!

GARDEN  | England’s Finest Gardens with Jane and Bill Forbes   Issue XLIII