I’ve really become a little homebody lately and dare I say it but I’m enjoying playing around in my garden. Sometimes you need a little inspiration and with so many beautiful British Gardens to explore, I decided a little road trip to Coton Manor Gardens in Northamptonshire was in order after seeing photos of their gorgeous gardens on Facebook.
I love a good old classic English Garden to ramble through and the gardens at Coton Manor didn’t disappoint…as soon as I entered the gardens I was hit with the beautiful fragrance of roses and jasmine lingering in the air, a heady mix! A group of 4 little old ladies were right behind me and they were very vocal about their delight of all the beautiful scents…they made me smile whenever I bumped into them during the day.
The gardens are a photographers dream especially during the summer months with all the rambling roses…
…with lots of little spots to sit back and admire the gardens.
Years and years ago, I attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace with my family and these gardens made me think that this would be another perfect spot for an English garden party…
…just imagine enjoying a pims down by the pond at sunset with beautiful lanterns….<note to self; step away from Pinterest…step away now!>.
My favourite area at Coton Manor Gardens was the Terraces and Old Rose Garden sections of the gardens; even though I prefer bright coloured flowers myself, the beauty of pastel flowers aren’t completely lost on me…
…those roses…
…the honey coloured house draped in roses and clematis…
…and rose arches signalling another little not so secret garden to explore.
The area around the water garden has stunning views over to the house…
…and another not so secret little garden with many little paths and pretty plants to get to the bottom of the garden. As the area is rather shaded, there were a number of ferns and hostas that reminded this Kiwi of home!
Of course for my little garden adventure, I slipped on my favourite pair of gardening shoes…
…a totally sensible and practical gardening shoe if ever there was one! Actually these Cross Strap Mules from New Look are so comfy and are on sale for only £9 now…they are part of the New Look Wide Fit Shoe collection.
I had some sweet pea envy…
…honestly why don’t my sweet peas look like this or smell as much as these ones at Coton Manor…personally I think every British Garden should have sweet peas and thankfully you can get them in some rich vibrant colours now and not just pastels.
Other than sweet peas…all beautiful english gardens should have some of these…
…yes flamingos…joking, no…but they are a fun addition to this English garden…
…there are four flamingos walking around the gardens and they’re super pink as they feed them the food required to make them pink…they move bloody fast as well when you’re trying to take photos of them…first world flamingo problems!
The Borders were another lovely area…and there may have been a few times when I tiptoed into the garden to smell a rose or two…
…I joined the four little ladies in the herb garden for another chat about old wives tales.
The Acacia Border offers more beautiful and sweet smelling roses…
…and stunning views of the house…this is what beautiful British Gardens are all about!
After my wander around the gardens and suffering from RSI due to taking to many photos, it was time for something to eat and drink so I popped off to the cafe…
…and indulged in a sarnie and a cold drink.
Refuelled I took the opportunity to walk through the plants for sale and picked up a couple of pretty plants to take home with me (a great selection of healthy and reasonably priced plants on sale for our own little mini British Gardens)…
…including a Dahlia called Miss Eileen…my dad loves dahlias and his mummy was called Eileen so that little plant was definitely coming home with me.
I’ve visited a number of beautiful English gardens mainly by visiting National Trust (membership details for US citizens) and Historic Houses but this is one of my firm favourites.
Travel Tips for Visiting Beautiful British Gardens: Coton Manor Gardens
- The Coton Manor Gardens are easily accessible from the M1 and you will need a car to visit the property. There is a large car park directly opposite the property.
- Dogs aren’t allowed in the grounds of Coton Manor Gardens however they can be exercised within the car park.
- The entrance fee at the time of my visit was £7 and this is payable by cash only – please check out the website for the full ticket prices and opening times.
- There is a cafe on site and they do serve gluten free options however they are a tad pricey – a drink and a gluten free toastie cost me £8…the card machine can be a bit hit and miss so you may want to take some cash with you for lunch as well. You can have picnic in the cafe area however not in the grounds.
- There are a number of very healthy looking plants for sale however payment is via cash.
- If you would like to learn more about the history of Coton Manor Gardens then this article from the FT is really interesting.
- You can find out more about opening times, prices and the gardens themselves at the Coton Manor Gardens website.
What are your recommendations for must see gardens to visit around the world? I would love to hear where you favourite gardens are.
xx
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