THE COTSWOLDS GARDEN ROUTE YOUR YEAR ROUND GUIDE TO Rousham is a beautiful 18th century garden which sparked off COTSWOLDS Visits to gardens are the age of the often associated with landscaped summertime, but here garden. GARDENS in the Cotswolds, gardens bloom and burst with We have put together this great little colour throughout the year. guide to the gardens of the Cotswolds There is something for every season here – winter is often overlooked for you so that you can plan your visit when it comes to gardens, but we at any time of the year. have some of the best snowdrops in the country as well as the best The Cotswold year begins with become beautifully fragrant autumn colour displays too. the first flush of snowdrops – with roses. Use this guide (and the handy map make sure you take a look at As summer turns to autumn and inside) to take you through the our spring guide to see the best the trees take on a golden hue, seasons of our Cotswold gardens snowdrop locations. As the days dramatic colours can be seen so that you can create your own begin to warm and daffodils make throughout the ancient beech Cotswold Garden Route. Stay for a welcome appearance, gardens woodlands of the Cotswolds. a little longer and visit some all over the Cotswolds start Be sure not to miss the spectacular fascinating places, from hidden bursting into life. leaf displays at Batsford and gems to the better known gardens Historic woodland such as Westonbirt. such as Highgrove or Hidcote. Woodchester Park, and the 2016 is the Year of the English Gloucestershire Wildlife Nature Garden and there are plenty of Reserve offer lovely walks for celebrations taking place to mark bluebell spotting while the arboreta the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ at Batsford and Westonbirt Brown. With many other gardens become awash with blossom. to explore in the towns and In late spring and summer, the surrounding area, make sure you The Lawnmower herbaceous borders at Newark come to the Cotswolds to celebrate was invented in Stroud Park, Hidcote, Snowshill Manor, the English Gardens. by Edwin Budding. Sezincote Gardens and Bourton It came from the House Garden will delight. Use our website cross-cutting Kiftsgate Court and Sudeley www.cotswolds.com to find machines that were Castle’s Queens’ Garden – a wide variety of used to finish named after the four English woollen cloth. accommodation for your Queens that walked within – garden break. CHECK OUT GREAT VISITOR INFORMATION GARDEN EVENTS CENTRE DETAILS NaTIONaL GaRdEN OPEN GaRdENS JUNE Our friendly staff are here to help you get SCHEME Cotswold gardens open Blenheim Palace Flower Show the most from your time in the Cotswolds. throughout the year Festival of Nature, Stroud WINTER Garden Week, Sudeley Castle BOURTON-ON-THE-WaTER For more information: Snowdrop Season – Colesbourne Park, Tel 01451 820211 • [email protected] www.cotswolds.com/ Painswick Rococo Garden, Batsford JULY plan-your-trip Arboretum, Newark Park Witney Festival of Flowers and Fabrics BURFORd Tel 01993 823558 • [email protected] Looking for more Stroud Country Show APRIL information? CHELTENHaM Fritillary Sunday, Ducklington Mead AUGUST Tel 01242 237431 • [email protected] www.facebook.com/ Fritillary Guided Walks, BBC Countryfile Live, Blenheim Palace CotswoldsInfo North Meadow, Cricklade CHIPPING CaMPdEN Treefest, Westonbirt The Garden Celebrated, Tel 01386 841206 • [email protected] Twitter Royal Gardens Highgrove Stratton & Baunton annual @CotswoldsInfo Horticultural Show, Cirencester CIRENCESTER Spring Homes & Garden Fair, Tel 01285 654180 • [email protected] www.instagram.com/ Sudeley Castle ducklington & Hardwick the_cotswolds/ annual Flower Show LECHLadE www.oxfordshire MAY deerhurst Flower Festival Tel 01367 252631 • [email protected] The Big May day Garden Party, cotswolds.org/youtube MORETON-IN-MaRSH Chipping Campden SEPTEMBER Tel 01608 650881 • [email protected] www.cotswolds.com RHS Spring Festival, Malvern Cotswolds Living Landscape Festival, Barnsley Village Garden Festival Lodge Park, Aldsworth NaILSWORTH Tel 01453 839222 • [email protected] MAY–JUNE OCTOBER PaINSWICK affordable Garden art Exhibition, apple days throughout area including Chastleton is Tel 0750 3516924 • [email protected] Showborough House Snowshill Manor, Chadlington and Stroud considered to STOW-ON-THE-WOLd be the birthplace For further events check out www.cotswolds.com/whats-on Tel 01451 870998 • [email protected] of croquet as a competitive sport STROUd following the publication Tel 01453 760960 • [email protected] of rules by Walter Whitmore-Jones who laid TETBURY out the croquet lawns Tel 01666 503552 • [email protected] at Chastleton. TEWKESBURY See the largest rose in Tel 01684 855040 • [email protected] the country at WINCHCOMBE Produced by Cotswold District Council, Kiftsgate Garden – Tewkesbury Borough Council, Tel 01242 602925 • [email protected] West Oxfordshire District Council and Rosa filipes Stroud District Council in association ‘Kiftsgate’. WITNEY with Cotswolds Tourism. All details correct at the time of going to print Tel 01993 775802 • [email protected] April 2016. There are SIGNS OF SPRING over 70 miles AUTUMN Snowdrops in the Cotswolds are simply spectacular and of lavender with the long winters passing it is such a relief to see the plants at the COLOUR first signs of life in those little white drops falling from the Snowshill The Cotswolds comes alive once again Lavender Farm. beautiful green leaves. The Cotswolds has some of the best during the season of autumn colours. snowdrop displays in the country and from as early as Our two arboreta at Batsford and January these little flowers bring hope for the new-year. Westonbirt have a display of reds, Some of the best places to see these wonderful displays are: oranges and yellows which are Cerney House Gardens, Colesbourne Park (open for rivalled by no other. weekends only in January and February), Newark Park, Batsford is home to the country’s Painswick Rococo Garden, Rodmarton Manor and the largest private collection of trees and National Trust Sherborne Estate. shrubs. Wander through the unique Let’s not forget other beautiful spring flowers – the collection which is inspired by magnolias look simply stunning usually from March plantsmen of old. Westonbirt’s autumn onwards and our two Cotswold arboreta at Batsford and happens with a bang with one of the Westonbirt show fantastic displays. There are also lovely best natural fireworks displays in spring flower banks and a gorgeous bluebell wood at Britain! Their famous Japanese maples Kiftsgate. Many Cotswold woodlands have carpets of in particular are ablaze in reds, oranges bluebells to seek out. SUMMER SPECTACULAR and yellows. Summer in the Cotswolds is simply stunning and the displays of summer colours are quite spectacular. All of our gardens have something lovely to offer in the summer months but there are some The Old Rectory, which really shine through. Here are some great ideas for a summer Quenington, marks garden visit. 70 years in 2016 of opening for the Hidcote was created by the talented American horticulturalist Major National Gardens Lawrence Johnston. Its colourful and intricately designed outdoor Scheme. rooms are always full of surprises. Snowshill Manor also has a lovely series of garden rooms – we love the fact that the Cotswolds takes its gardens as seriously as the home. Sudeley Castle has one of the most spectacular displays of summer roses you will ever see. Berkeley Castle too specialises in scent and the roses are a particular delight in June. The organic Royal gardens at Highgrove have been over 30 years in the making and are some of the most creatively inspiring and innovative gardens in the UK. The display of delphiniums is a must see during the summer months but must be booked in advance. Bourton House Garden is an award-winning three acre garden with luxuriant terraces and wide herbaceous borders with stunning plant, At Stanway texture and colour combinations. House & Garden watch the highest Snowshill Lavender is one to visit in June and July when the lavender gravity fountain flowers are in bloom. With over 70 miles and 35 different varieties in the world rise of lavender, it’s worth a visit to see the spectacularly colourful fields 300 feet. reminiscent of the Dutch bulb fields – well almost! ACCOMMODATION With so many gardens to visit, why not stay a while to give you plenty of time to explore? The area has such a variety of accommodation YEAR ROUND GARDENS from manor house hotels with formal And then there are the gardens which look amazing all year round! We have quite gardens, to bed and breakfast and a selection here in the Cotswolds which means that you can visit off season too. self-catering cottages that have Blenheim Palace is a World Heritage Site surrounded by over 2,000 acres of traditional country gardens bursting beautiful ‘Capability’ Brown parkland with lakes, fountains and formal gardens with flowers, colours and scents. providing a wealth of interest throughout the year. To check out places to stay visit For one of the country’s most important gardens, Rousham is relatively little known – completely un-commercialised with no shop or tea rooms. Dating to www.cotswolds.com/accommodation the first phase of English landscape design, this is one of the few 18th century gardens to have escaped major alteration. Kiftsgate garden is the wonderful creation of three generations of women gardeners and looks stunning at any time of the year. STAY & LEARN Again, the arboreta look great at any time of the year – they are well known for their If you fancy learning gardening tips autumn displays but the spring magnolias, evergreen colours in many of the trees then why not book into one of the make them year round places to visit.