English Gardens

For a colonial antipodean gardener, English gardens are very influential. They can inspire twin herbaceous borders, or pleached rows of Hornbeams. They can ruin the colonial gardening budget as one tries vainly to source the latest hybrid caramel-coloured Verbascum. In fact, English gardens have led generations of copy-cat gardeners all over the world down the garden path.

Books on English Gardens fill bookcases and cover coffee tables. All the pictures look amazingly green and pleasant - and moist. The English weather obviously dictates what the English can grow well in their gardens, but English Garden photographers must have a lot of down-time, waiting for the 'moist' to stop 'moisting'!

English gardens seem to be rather famous, too. Everyone in the gardening world has heard of the famous English dry garden, and the boutique English coastal garden, and those English lost gardens in Cornwall. And then there's that really famous garden-rooms garden in Kent...

So many gardens, so little time - if you are lucky enough to visit in person! And if you're not, then let the Moosey London Team be your guides, as they ramble through (and on about) some favourite English Gardens (with seven cameras, five notebooks and a sharp pencil).

English Garden Tours

London Garden Squares

London is often described as the greenest city in the world. The more exclusive squares are closed off to the public by traditional black iron railings, accessible only by the few key-holders. When the London Parks and Gardens Trust held an Open Squares weekend, the nosy public (including Mooseys UK Team) turned out in droves!

Beth Chatto's Gardens

The Mooseys London Team visited Beth Chatto's Gardens on a late autumn day. The website manager's mother shopped in the nursery for bedding shrubs while we walked around the extensive gardens. We had a cup of tea in the cafe, then left as the sun set.

Bridgwater Flower Show

Bridgwater has special significance for this gardening team, as Moosey was born here before moving to New Zealand. Likewise, Eggy feels a connection to the area with his bloodline coming through the town. We were treated to Bridgwater's annual flower show, last August Bank Holiday weekend.

St. Giles Churchyard Gardens

The churchyard is behind St Giles Church in Camberwell, London, and gives Church Street its name. It is a typical urban English churchyard in many respects...

Winsford Walled Garden , North Devon

My visit to Winsford Walled Garden happened on a whim. It was an exciting idea - a train and bus to North Devon, a real gardener to meet and talk to, and the magic of some original Victorian walls and greenhouses....