The garden has long been a staple of English culture. From the sprawling and opulent royal gardens, framing castles and manor houses throughout the realm, to the eruptions of color and scent cultivated outside of each modest cottage in the countryside, the art of gardening is a quintessentially English past-time. Delve into the most beautiful and renowned gardens of Great Britain on this horticultural tour and trip to the Chelsea Garden Show. Whether you’re learning to identify medicinal plants in the 350-year-old Chelsea Physic Garden or enjoying Beth Chatto’s gardens, this is an experience that will continue to blossom in your memory forever.
Degree of Difficulty –
Your adventure begins as you board your overnight flight to London. Arrive in the morning, and get ready to begin your garden and flower tour. En route to your hotel, you will visit two gardens. Your first stop is the RHS Garden. Wisley is the historic home of the Royal Horticultural Society and houses one of the largest collections of plants in the world. The gardens offer a plethora of different flowers and other plants to tantalize and excite your senses. The famous cathedral-like Glasshouse, which covers an area of 10 tennis courts and rises 40 feet high, is home to the RHS tender plant collection. Your next stop is one of London’s oldest botanic gardens – Chelsea Physic Garden, founded in 1673 as an Apothecaries’ Garden. The gardens contain a unique living collection of around 5,000 different plants. Check into your hotel where the remainder of your afternoon is at leisure. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner and get to know your fellow travellers. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Meals Aloft; Welcome D)
Start your day with a visit to the gardens at Bressingham Hall, a Mecca for serious gardeners, with 17 acres of planted gardens containing (at last count) 8,000 species and cultivars of perennials, greases, shrubs, trees, conifers, ferns, and bulbs. Continue on to Colchester and the gardens of the renowned garden designer and author Beth Chatto. The gardens are comprised of a varied range of planting sites with a total of five acres. This includes dry, sun baked gravel, water and marginal planting, woodland, shady, heavy clay, and alpine planting. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Breakfast)
Today’s excursion leads you outside of London, and takes you to Godalming and Winkworth Arboretum. Created in the early 20th century by Dr. Wilfrid Fox, this hillside arboretum has now been maintained by the National Trust for 60 years and has built up an internationally significant collection of more than 1,000 different species of shrubs and trees, many of them rare. Head to Woolbeding gardens and wander around the beautifully manicured 26 acres. Explore the different garden rooms and relax on the lawns. In the evening, enjoy a private dinner at Denbies Wine Estate. The vineyard was planted in 1986 and has since become the largest wine producer in the United Kingdom, hosting members of the Royal Family, completing historical connections which date back to Prince Albert in 1851. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Venture into the English countryside to visit Gravetye Manor. The gardens at the manor are regarded amongst the most influential in English gardening history. The manor and gardens were once the home of William Robinson, the father of the English Flower Garden. Continue to Nymans Gardens. Now run by the National Trust, development began in the 19th century by the Messel Family. Despite damage from the Great Storm of October 1987, Nymans remains a must-see on the English garden circuit, where you will find delightful collections of magnolias, camellias, eucryphia and heathers amidst the ongoing restoration. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Breakfast)
Today you will attend the most famous flower show in the British Isles, and perhaps the world: The Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society. Every year, the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea are transformed with stunning horticultural displays. World-renowned gardeners, plant specialists, florists, and nurseries come together from around the globe to show off cutting-edge garden designs and inspirational floral exhibits. As you stroll through the show, enjoy a rare look at award-winning gardens full of rare flowers and plants, creative floral works of art, spot emerging gardening trends, and horticultural products for sale, ranging from gardening gadgets to sculptures and plants. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Breakfast)
Start your day with a visit to Sissinghurst Castle, where the castle garden is designed as a series of ‘rooms,’ each with a different character of color and/or theme. With clipped hedges as walls and many pink brick walls, these rooms are exquisitely planted with thematic flora. Then head to the Great Dixter, a Tudor house with a famous 20th century Arts and Crafts garden. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner and reminisce about the marvelous gardens you visited. APEX TEMPLE COURT HOTEL.
(Breakfast,Dinner)
Arise this morning and board a motor coach bound for Heathrow airport and your flight home. Along your route, bid London a fond cheerio!
(Breakfast, Meals Aloft)
Uncover the botanical jewels of historic England on this pre-extension. The “living artwork” that is Stourhead Gardens will serve as an introduction to a world of classical-style manicured gardens, complete with temples and pantheons alongside ancient Roman ruins. Discover a centuries-old “secret garden” in Heligan and the scientific marvels of the Eden Project. Wrap up the experience with a stop at the iconic Stonehenge, the mysterious standing stones that have enchanted and inspired people for centuries.
Extend your stay in the timeless city of Oxford, known for its scholarly institutions, its remarkably beautiful architecture, and of course its gardens. Visit historic and modern treasures of botany, ranging from private manor gardens to educational collections of medicinal and exotic plant life, completing your tour at the royal family’s own gardens at Windsor Castle.
Prices vary by season and package. Please inquire by phone at (800) 627-1244 or email info@classicescapes.com for more information and a pricing estimate.
YOUR JOURNEY INCLUDES:
- Superior accommodations as indicated in the itinerary.
- Breakfast daily, welcome and farewell dinners and all other meals as indicated in itinerary.
- Chelsea Flower show ticket.
- Transportation in luxury air-conditioned motor coach.
- Complimentary bottled water in vehicles during touring.
- All applicable hotel gratuities and taxes.
- Specialist guide with a minimum of 10 travelers on the main program.
- All entry fees per the itinerary.
- Complimentary passport wallets and baggage tags.
- Complimentary emergency evacuation insurance.
Both of our programs can take place at any time of the year as London is not a city where fun depends on the weather. While summer is a great time to visit, spring and autumn are also good times, when the crowds are far thinner and sights less crowded. Winters are cold, wet and dark, so outdoor venues are mostly deserted.
