Gardens Galore in England’s North Country
The National Trust is opening Britain’s largest winter garden at Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire. The seven acre Winter Garden will welcome visitors from 2nd November, and will stay open throughout the year except Christmas Day. The garden will offer scents, colour and texture from November through until early April - from the delicate charms of the Snowdrop Walk where over 12,000 snowdrops and narcissi nestle amongst the trees, to the delightful Camellia Walk with 50 species of evergreen and flowering camellias, to the Blue Meadow.
Japanese maples are underplanted with blue spring bulbs, and in the Scented Walk, fragrant hints of delicious floral scents gently waft through the air. Over 1600 shrubs in the garden were chosen for their winter bark, flower, fruits, autumn colour or scent, and there are over 300 different species of plants to be seen.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-dunhammassey
Meanwhile Tatton Park has received its fifth Green Flag award and Green Heritage Site Accreditation, achieving its highest ever score in the Green Flag category.The Green Flag awards recognise and reward the best parks in the country and are only awarded to those sites which meet the strict criteria. This, Tatton’s fifth award, acknowledges the extremely high standards of the park and estate management.
www.tattonpark.org.uk
Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel is just one of the region’s gardens celebrating the festive season with garden illuminations. On the weekends in the run up to Christmas Holker Hall will give visitors a warm and wonderful welcome with magical decorations in the historic hall, twinkling illuminations in the winter gardens and seasonal food in their café. There’ll also be warming braziers in the courtyard and a barbeque of Holker produce and roasted chestnuts, live music and carol singing, special Christmas hampers in the food hall and a range of fun children’s activities.