Iconic Gardens of England & Wales in Spring, with Chelsea Flower Show

The ideal tour for those wishing to discover the famed gardens of England and Wales. Enter the grounds of the celebrated Chelsea Flower Show before the crowds and see the exhibits with your Botanical Guide. Learn what goes into an award-winning garden during a special presentation by a leading garden designer. Stay two nights in the historic Hever Castle of Anne Boleyn fame. Visit Bodnant Garden, Great Dixter, Sissinghurst, Hidcote, and Kew Gardens. These quintessential gardens will be in full bloom during our spring travels.

Itinerary

Day 1: Chelsea Flower Show Lecture, London (England)

You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. At 6.30 pm, enjoy dinner and a lecture about the Chelsea Flower Show by a leading garden designer. 

Day 2: Chelsea Flower Show and Kew Gardens

Explore the Chelsea Flower Show’s gardens, marquee and stalls. The world’s greatest flower show will once again take place with the usual cutting-edge garden design, fabulous floral displays and garden retail exhibits. This afternoon, visit the world-famous Kew Gardens. Not only is it London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage site, Kew Gardens also houses the world’s most diverse collection of living plants. From here, we continue to Oxford.

Day 3: Waddesdon Manor, Hatfield House Gardens and Walking Tour of Oxford

Explore Waddesdon Manor, known for its colourful parterre, walks, fountains and statuary. Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild between 1874 and 1885, the manor also boasts a collection of artworks numbering in the thousands. From here, we travel to Hatfield House to enjoy its West Gardens. As you wander the grounds, notice the massive yew hedge, inside which are spring bulbs, geraniums, iris, shrubs, herbaceous plants, roses and annuals. Later, enjoy a short orientation tour of Oxford.

Day 4: Hidcote Manor Garden and Betws-y-coed (Wales)

This morning, visit Hidcote Manor Garden, one of England’s great arts and crafts gardens, and explore its colourful and intricately designed outdoor ‘rooms’, before continuing to Betws-y-coed in Wales.

Day 5: Plas Brondanw, Portmeirion and Bodnant Garden

Visit Sir Clough Williams-Ellis’s most famous creation, Plas Brondanw Garden, which was his home for more than 70 years. Then travel to Portmeirion, also designed by Williams-Ellis, which served as the setting for the TV series The Prisoner. Afterwards, visit the expansive Bodnant Garden, with views across Conwy Valley. With its intimate corners, sweeping lawns, grand terraces and verdant woodland, Bodnant lays claim to possessing many gardens within one across its expansive grounds. Marvel at the stunning Laburnum in full spring bloom.

Day 6: Powis Castle and The Laskett (England)

This morning, visit Powis Castle and admire its world-famous terraced garden that boasts stunning vistas from its series of terraces, embellished by clipped yews and herbaceous borders. Stop in at Sir Roy Strong’s garden, The Laskett, which has continued to evolve since works began there in 1974. Roy is the former director of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Day 7: RHS Wisley and Hever Castle Gardens

Travel to RHS Wisley Garden. This world-renowned garden is home to a wide variety of plants, from stunning flowers to towering trees. Explore the various gardens, including the Rock Garden, the Mediterranean Garden, and the Glasshouse. Enjoy lunch in the Terrace restaurant before continuing to Hever Castle where we will spend the next two nights. This stunning castle and gardens were once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife.

Day 8: Great Dixter and Sissinghurst Gardens

Enjoy a visit to Great Dixter, the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd. The garden, and his writings about it, were the focus of his energy and enthusiasm for the better part of his life. Admire the property’s wildflower meadow and long border with hot colours. Continue to Sissinghurst to see the 1930s White Garden created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband.

Day 9: Chartwell and London

Today, visit Chartwell, the magnificent home and gardens of Sir Winston Churchill. The house is still much as it was when the Churchill family lived here, with pictures, books and personal mementoes evoking the career and wide-ranging interests of this influential family. Our tour ends at The May Fair Hotel in London at approximately 3.00 pm.