2-for-1 Gardens – Cottage Gardens

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The Manor, Hemingford Grey

Visit The Manor, Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire and find a cottage garden filled with texture and colour. Keep an eye out for the vibrant green of Alchemilla mollis and bright blue nigella. Foxgloves, roses and blowsy peonies complete this picturesque cottage garden scene. Listen closely for insects as they flit among the flowers.

• Disabled access: Partial access
• Dogs: Permitted on the lead
• Single visitor discount: Yes
• Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about The Manor, Hemingford Grey in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit The Manor, Hemingford Grey website for more details

The Priest House and Gardens

The Priest House and Gardens, Sussex, could hardly look more like a quintessential postcard scene. This garden boasts borders bursting with flowering shrubs and perennials, all tumbling over each other. As with many cottage gardens, the planting is functional as well as attractive, with over 170 culinary, medicinal and household herbs planted in the garden. The garden also has an interesting history, having been seized by Henry VIII and then later passed to Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleaves, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

• Disabled access: No access
• Dogs: Not permitted
• Single visitor discount: No
• Refreshments: No refreshments

Find out more about The Priest House in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit The Priest House website for more details

East Lambrook Manor Garden

East Lambrook Manor Garden, in Somerset, is often cited as the archetypal cottage garden. Margery Fish, celebrated 20th-Century writer and plantswoman, shaped East Lambrook Garden into what it is today. She helped pioneer the style of cottage garden, combining old and new plants in the relaxed, quintessential style. Fish stated, ‘It is pleasant to know each one of your plants intimately because you have chosen and planted every one of them’, a sentiment familiar to all gardeners.

• Disabled access: Partial access
• Dogs: Permitted on the lead
• Single visitor discount: Not available
• Refreshments: Light refreshments

Find out more about East Lambrook Manor Gardens in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the East Lambrook Manor Gardens website for more details

Stone House Cottage Garden

Near Kidderminster, Stone House Cottage Garden is a romantic walled garden in Worcester. Walls and hedges are used throughout the garden to create a series of small, intimate garden rooms, whilst tall follies frame the garden. The white and yellow border is also a standout feature. The colours contrast beautifully against the red brick wall, dappled with lichen.

• Disabled access: Partial access
• Dogs: Not permitted
• Single visitor discount: Not available
• Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about Stone House Cottage Gardens in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit Stone House Cottage Gardens website for more details

Bide-a-Wee Cottage Garden

Bide-a-wee Cottage Garden, nestled in the Northumberland countryside, is a plant lover’s paradise. What used to be an old sandstone quarry is now a richly planted cottage garden, where flowers and sandstone rock live beside each other in harmony. ‘Bide-a-Wee’ translates to ‘stay a while’, and it’s easy to see how any plants person could spend a day here. Among the 4,000 plants is a National Collection of centaurea. By July, the garden is filled with vivid colour and delicious scent.

• Disabled access: Partial access
• Dogs: Not permitted
• Single visitor discount: Not available
• Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about Bide-a-Wee Cottage Gardens in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit Bide-a-Wee Cottage Gardens website for more details

Anne Hathaway's Birthplace

Perhaps one of the most famous cottages in the world, this plot in Stratford-upon-Avon was home to Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. The timeless beauty of this cottage and garden remains undiminished. Fans of the bard can look out for trees named after his works, as well as sculptures inspired by his plays. The story goes that this is where Shakespeare wooed Anne, and the gardens still evoke this same romance. The wild borders here overflow with blooms, and butterflies flitting between flowers complete the scene.

• Disabled access: Partial access
• Dogs: Permitted on the lead
• Single visitor discount: Not available
• Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about Anne Hathaway's Birthplace our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit Anne Hathaway's Birthplace website for more details