Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington, Herefordshire
Hergest Croft Gardens have been created over 120 years by four generations of the same family and is now home to a very unique collection of over 5,000 rare plants, shrubs and trees – undoubtedly, one of the best in the country.
The quintessential Englishness of Hergest Croft harks back to more gentle days; the croquet lawn and rockery are bordered by clipped yew hedges, the sweet scent of lilies fills the air in summer. The Azalea Garden is a feast for the eyes with its dazzling colour and one of the largest Paper Handkerchief trees in the UK; if you come later on in the year, take a seat at the top of the Maple Grove and see autumn spread its cloak before you, beyond the countryside rolls out and on to the Malvern Hills.
In the Kitchen Garden traditional and rare varieties of fruit and vegetables are grown and a colourful spring border blooms beneath ancient apple trees; stroll to Park Wood and you’ll find a secret pond surrounded by rare exotic trees and rhododendrons, deep within an oak wood in a secluded valley.
There’s something rather enchanting about Hergest Croft Gardens, it’s all slightly Alice in Wonderland. When you go to the tearoom and take a seat beside the fire, you almost expect to look up and see a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in full swing.
Open: March – weekends only
From 1st April – 30th October 11.00am-5.00pm
Special opening by appointment only between Oct and Mar
T: 01544 230160 All information correct at the time of writing