Somerset is home to many of the UK’s loveliest gardens, as well as the beautiful city of Bath, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. We’ve picked some of our favourite gardens to visit in Bath and surrounding areas of Somerset, plus our favourite places to stay so you can enjoy a relaxing staycation. Many of the gardens we’ve chosen are in our 2-for-1 Gardens to visit guide, so check your guide to see where you can enjoy a discounted day out.
Gardens to visit
Hestercombe Gardens
A unique combination of contrasting styles, the gardens at Hestercombe Gardens comprise a celebrated Edwardian garden, a Victorian terrace and shrubbery, and an idyllic Georgian landscape. The formal Arts and Crafts garden, created by Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s, is a masterpiece of symmetry and proportion. It features a rose garden, daisy steps and a sunken parterre with geometric borders, rills and pergola. The rolling landscape beyond, laid out 250 years ago, offers scenic lakeside walks, a grand cascade, woods and theatrical follies, including a witch house, gothic alcove and Tuscan temple arbour.
East Lambrook Manor Gardens
The quintessential cottage gardens at East Lambrook Manor were created by the celebrated and ground-breaking plantswoman Margery Fish during the mid-20th century. The gardens are being gradually redeveloped to revive the spirit of her original design, combining old-fashioned and contemporary plants in an informal profusion. Spring colour abounds, with snowdrops, hellebores and daffodils, leading into summer displays of hardy geraniums, bearded irises, fragrant pinks and roses, set among lawns, trees and low hedges.
The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens
In the heart of Wells, beside the cathedral, the 14-acre garden at The Bishop’s Palace has been developed by successive bishops over the past 800 years. The Grade II listed gardens are a place to relax and enjoy nature, among beautiful borders, fragrant roses, majestic trees and the spring-fed pools and wells from which this small city gets its name. Comprising a series of interlinked gardens of various styles, they offer year-round colour and interest. The arboretum was designed by Sir Harold Hillier in 1977 and includes trees such as silver lime (Tilia Petiolaris), foxglove tree (Paulownia tomentosa) and Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica). Beneath the trees, snowdrops, primroses, bluebells and orchids bloom in succession. The knot garden, whose design is inspired by the nearby oriel window, is given a modern twist with herbs and grasses. The hot borders are bursting with colour in summer and the dahlia beds feature the famous ‘Bishop’ dahlia varieties.
Greencombe Gardens
On the edge of Exmoor, with views to Porlock Bay, the woodland garden at Greencombe offers relaxing strolls beneath mature oaks, sweet chestnuts and conifers. Colourful camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and trilliums light up spring, while ferns unfurl in the shade beside moss-edged paths. There’s a National Collection of dog’s-tooth violets (Erythronium), as well as the UK’s largest and oldest holly tree. Summer brings roses, clematis, hydrangeas and more. The garden is managed organically and filled with birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife.
Milton Lodge Gardens
Set high in the Mendips, Milton Lodge Gardens comprise a series of formal terraces that make the most of its glorious views over Wells Cathedral and the Vale of Avalon. The terrace borders are planted with old-fashioned roses, perennials and shrubs. Unusual plants include a loquat and an 80-year-old pineapple guava, while a waterlily pond is surrounded by fuchsias, lilies and agapanthus. Below the terraces lies an eight-acre woodland garden to explore, containing magnificent mature trees such as oak, chestnut, Cedar of Lebanon and beech.
Where to stay
Bath Priory
While you’re spoilt for places to stay in the historic city of Bath, garden-lovers are in for a treat at the Bath Priory Hotel. We stayed there in autumn, and explored the four-acre garden, which was looking resplendent. The garden was bursting with colour from cornus, liquidambar, witch hazel and robinia, as well as year-round structure from the cedar of Lebanon and topiary yew. There’s a small, productive kitchen garden, a heated outdoor swimming pool, surrounded by perennial flowers, and a sunny terrace with plenty of seating for guests, which is backed by a majestic wisteria. There’s also a formal area, with low hedges and roses surrounding a fountain. The hotel’s spa, restaurant and drawing room all enjoy excellent views of the beautiful garden at this special hotel.
