Easter garden treats to explore this April

The long Easter weekend is 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:

Steppingley Village Gardens, Bedfordshire this delightful group of seven gardens in a picturesque Bedfordshire village offer an interesting mix of planting styles and design including pretty courtyards, cottage garden style perennial borders, three large wildlife ponds and several small ponds, a Victorian well, a shell grotto, glasshouses, vegetable gardens and country views.
Opens for the National Garden Scheme 20 and 21 April – 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 20 and 21 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 3,10,17, 21 April for details click here

Ulting Wick, Essex  Listed black barns provide the backdrop for vibrant and exuberant planting in eight acres. Snowdrops, narcissus, tulips, flowing innovative spring planting, herbaceous borders, pond, mature weeping willows, kitchen garden, wait to explored in April. Many plants propagated in-house with unusual plants for sale too.
Opens on 19 and 25 April and dates in July, August and September – 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

Regency House, Devon has a five acre plantsman’s garden approached across a little ford. There are many interesting and unusual trees and shrubs and visitors can try their hand at identifying plants with the very comprehensive and amusing plant list. There’s a walled vegetable and fruit garden, lake, ponds, bog plantings and sweeping lawns. Horses, Dexter cattle and Jacob sheep too.  It’s a tranquil space to relax in and there’s plenty of space to eat your own picnic.
Opens on 19 and 20 April – for details click here

Glasfryn Hall, Clwyd. A Victorian villa set in three acres of gardens with an interesting variety of mature trees, beds, tea house, pond and parterre. Horsebox café serving on the croquet lawn with its stunning views of the Clwydian hills. The property is also home Oriel Glasfryn Gallery, featuring work by leading Welsh artists. The 2025 open gardens coincide with the spring exhibition meaning the house will be open.
Opens on 19, 20, 21 April – 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 19 and 20 April – for details click here

Felley Priory, Nottinghamshire has a garden for all seasons with yew hedges and topiary, snowdrops, hellebores, herbaceous borders and rose garden. There are pergolas, a white garden, small arboretum and borders filled with unusual trees, shrubs, plants and bulbs. The grass edged pond is planted with primulas, bamboo, iris, roses and eucomis. Bluebell woodland walk and an orchard with extremely rare daffodils.
Opens Sunday 20 April – for details click here

Cascades Garden, Matlock, Derbyshire. The Meditation Garden and Bonsai centre with its fascinating four acre peaceful garden in spectacular natural surroundings with woodland, cliffs, stream, pond and an old limestone quarry. Inspired by Japanese gardens and Buddhist philosophy, there are secluded garden rooms for relaxation and reflection. Beautiful landscape with a wide collection of unusual perennials, conifers, shrubs and trees.
Opens on Saturday 19 April and dates in May and July – 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 21 April – for details click here 

Balmoral Cottage, Kent. As featured on Monty Don’s British Gardens this lovely owner created and maintained garden is now 40 years mature. Varied, romantic and extensive topiary form the backbone for mixed borders. There’s an organically managed vegetable garden and particular attention has been paid to the needs of nesting birds and small mammals lending this artistic plantswoman’s garden a rare and unusual quality.
Opens on Sunday 20 April and dates in May and October – 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 18 and Monday 21 April and 5 and 6 July – for details click here

Click here for April and Easter garden openings