Easter garden treats to explore this April

The long Easter weekend is early this year and always a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and to explore the great outdoors. Whether you’re taking a woodland walk or exploring a garden, the National Garden Scheme has a lovely selection throughout April and over the Easter weekend. Here’s a little taster: 

Woodlands, Lincolnshire Renowned for its rich planting of shaded beds, but plenty to interest sun lovers too, especially salvias. A good selection available in the RHS listed nursery. The new crevice garden is developing nicely and once again we are holding a winter opening featuring drifts of snowdrops and aconites amongst winter flowering shrubs and a small, but expanding collection of named snowdrops.
Opens Sunday 5 April and dates in May, June, August and September – for details click here 

Poulton Hall, Cheshire is a quirky garden which children love. 3 acres, lawns fronting house, wildflower meadow. Surprise approach to walled garden, with reminders of Roger Lancelyn Green’s retellings, Excalibur, Robin Hood and Jabberwock. Memorial sculpture for Richard Lancelyn Green by Sue Sharples. Rose, nursery rhyme, witch, herb and oriental gardens and Memories Reading room. Restored Excalibur garden. Opens 4 and 5 April – for details click here 

‘John’s Garden’ at Ashwood Nurseries, Staffordshire is a stunning private garden adjacent to Ashwood Nurseries, it has a huge plant collection and many innovative design features in a beautiful canal-side setting. There are informal beds, woodland dells, herbaceous borders, a rock garden, unique ruin garden, an Anemone pavonina meadow and wildlife garden. Fine displays of snowdrops, spring-flowering plants and a notable collection of Malus. 
Opens 5 April and 24 September – for details click here

 Little Court, Hampshire is a sheltered, naturalistic garden with year-round interest, especially memorable in spring. Mature and exuberant, with a large plant collection and a traditional walled kitchen garden. There are many butterflies in the wildflower meadow. Rustic seats throughout, good views, and described as ‘an oasis of peace and tranquillity.’
Opens as part of Crawley Gardens on 3 and 6 April and by arrangement to 5 July. For details click here 

Cherry Tree Arboretum, Shropshire. Created in 2006 on 50 acres of unspoilt, pastureland scattered with mature oaks by John and Liz Ravenscroft. Located on a hilly area overlooking the Cheshire plain with views to the Pennines in the north, the Peckforton Hills to the northwest and the Breiddons to the southwest. It is a showcase of specimen trees with magnolias, peonies, dahlias, lilacs, deciduous azaleas and North American oaks.
Opens 4 April, 9 May and 3 October. For details click here 

Easton Walled Garden, Lincolnshire is a 400-year-old, restored 12-acre garden set in the heart of Lincolnshire. Home to snowdrops, sweetpeas, roses and meadows. The River Witham meanders through the gardens, teeming with wildlife. Other garden highlights including a yew tunnel, turf maze and cut flower gardens.
Opens 3 April – for details click here 

Andrew’s Corner, Devon. Take a walk on the wild side in this tranquil moorland garden. Join garden owner Robin as he explains the evolution of the garden which has been open for over 50 years. April openings highlight magnolias, trillium and the lovely erythroniums. Early May the maples, rhododendrons and unusual shrubs provide interest. Late May brings the Snowdrop Tree, Chilean Firebush and the spectacular blue poppies.
Opens 5,6 and 12 April and 3, 4 May, for details click here 

Manor farm, Lechdale is a two-acre walled garden. Grade II listed C17 house (not open). Naturalised bulbs, wood anemones, fritillaria in mature orchards with many varieties of old English apples, pears, quince, and mulberry. Pleached limewalk, clipped 130 yr old yew balls, alliums and box, greenhouse with ancient Black Hamburg vine. Revolving summerhouse. Chickens. A stream runs along the garden boundary.
It opens as part of Kencot Gardens on 6 April. For details click here 

Nettlestead Place, Kent is C13 manor house in a 10 acre plantsman’s garden. Large formal rose garden. Large herbaceous garden of island beds with rose and clematis walkway leading to a garden of succulents. Fine collection of trees and shrubs; sunken pond garden, maze of thuja, terraces, bamboos, camellias, glen garden, acer and daffodil lawns. Young pinetum adjacent to garden. Sculptures featured throughout.
Opens 5 and 19 April, for details click here 

Ashfield House, Lincoln. Discover 140 flowering cherries and 30 magnolias. Many thousands of spring bulbs, sweeping lawns and lake. Beautiful naturally landscaped garden with some superb mature trees as well as a fascinating arboretum. One of the best flowering cherry displays in the area.
Opens 5 April and by arrangement April to October. For details click here 

Sarsden Gleve, Oxfordshire is a Rectory garden and park designed by Humphrey Repton and his son George. Formal terraced garden around the house; woodland garden full of spring bulbs, mature oaks and many other ornamental trees. Old orchard now home to three pigs. Walled garden with espaliered fruit trees, tulip pots and greenhouse.
Opens 3 April, for details click here 

10 Chestnut Way, Derbyshire is a large and wonderfully diverse garden with lots of separate areas of interest and thoughtful planting throughout. The unusual sculptures and renowned home-made teas make for a memorable visit. Overflowing borders and a surprise round every corner.
Opens as part of Repton Village Gardens. For details click here 

Peelers Retreat, West Sussex. This inspirational space is a delight with permanent gazebos and comfortable seating to sit and relax, enjoying delicious teas. When cold we light the fire for our guests. Interlocking beds packed with year-round colour and scent, shaded by specimen trees, inventive water features and a range of quirky woodland sculptures.
Opens on 4, 18 and 28 April and dates in May, June and July. For details click here 

Trench Hill, Gloucestershire is a garden of three acres set in a small woodland with panoramic views. With a variety of herbaceous and mixed borders, rose garden, tulips, extensive vegetable plots, wildflower areas, plantings of spring bulbs with thousands of snowdrops and hellebores, woodland walk, two small ponds, waterfall and larger conservation pond. There’s plenty to delight including interesting wooden sculptures.
Opens on 5 and 6 April and dates throughout the year – for details click here  

The Old Vicarage, West Sussex, offers a wonderful three and half acres to explore including a front garden of topiary, wide lawns, mixed borders and a contemporary water sculpture. The rear features new and mature trees herbaceous borders, a water garden and stunning uninterrupted views of the North Downs. The Japanese garden with waterfall and pond leads to a large copse, stream, treehouse and stumpery. Perfect to engage children and adults alike.
Opens for the National Garden Scheme throughout the year including on Monday 6 April for details click here  

Feeringbury Manor, Essex. There is always plenty to see in this peaceful 10 acre garden with two ponds and River Blackwater. There’s a jewelled lawn in early April then spectacular tulips and blossom lead on to a huge number of different, colourful and many unusual plants.
Opens on Thursdays and Fridays throughout April (and every Thursday and Friday to the end of October) for details click here 

Poulton Hall, Cheshire. A quirky garden which children love. Three acres with lawns fronting the house and a wildflower meadow. Surprise approach to walled garden, with reminders of Roger Lancelyn Green’s retellings, Excalibur, Robin Hood and Jabberwock. Rose, nursery rhyme, witch, herb and oriental gardens and Memories Reading room.
Opens 4 and 5 April – for details click here 

Kencot Gardens, Gloucestershire consists of five gardens and allotments with a wide variety of styles from a two acre walled garden to allotments tended by nine people, growing a variety of vegetables, flowers and fruit.
Opens on Monday 6 April – for details click here  

Crawley Gardens, Hampshire. Crawley is a pretty period village nestling in chalk downland with thatched houses, C14 church and village pond. The spring and summer gardens provide varied seasonal interest with traditional and contemporary approaches to landscape and planting. Most of the gardens have beautiful country views and other gardens can be seen from the road. Opens Friday 3 and Monday 6 April – for details click here

Click here for all our Easter garden openings