Wonderful walled gardens to visit

The UK boasts some superb walled gardens, from old-fashioned kitchen gardens that offer a window on the past to more modern spaces.

We’ve rounded up seven of the most beautiful walled gardens that are accessible to the public in the UK.

West Green House

Magnificent walled gardens surround West Green House in Hampshire (above) and have been restored to hold their original charm. Admire a water staircase, Wisteria arbour and signature perennial borders.

Open: 13 March – 27 October, Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 4.30pm.Tickets: Adults £8; 6-16 years £4; 5 and under are free.Visit westgreenhouse.co.uk

Chartwell

Chartwell, Kent, is famous for housing Winston Churchill in the early 1900s but the walled gardens are noteworthy in their own right, for both the rose garden and a kitchen garden for which Churchill built the brick wall.

Open: Everyday from 10am to 5pm (4pm in winter).Tickets: Adults £15.50; children £7.75, family £38.75.Visit nationaltrust.org.uk/chartwell

Llanerchaeron

The historic garden at Llanerchaeron in Ceredigion has been producing fruits and vegetables year-round for 200 years, having been built in the 18th century as a Georgian industrial produce garden. Enjoy veteran fruit trees, herbaceous borders and herbs.

Open: Everyday from 10.30am to 17.30pm (11.30am-3.30pm in winter).Tickets: Adults £8.09, children £4.38, family £21.44.Visit nationaltrust.org.uk/llanerchaeron

Scampston Walled Garden

This award-winning walled garden in Yorkshire, which was designed by Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf, is a beautiful contemporary space surrounded by 80 acres of 18th-century Capability Brown parkland.

Open: 5 April – 27 October, Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Check website for exceptions.Tickets: Adults £8.50, 5-16 years £5, under 5 are free.Visit scampston.co.uk

Lost Gardens of Heligan

Witness an array of crops and growing methods in the splendid walled gardens at Heligan, which include the intensively cultivated kitchen garden, walled flower garden and melon yard.

Open: Everyday from 10am-6pm (10am-5pm in winter).Tickets: Adults £!5, 5-17 years £7, under 5 are free.Visit heligan.com

Felbrigg Hall

This walled garden in Norfolk dates back to the 18th century, and produces fruit, vegetables and flowers for use in the hall. Enjoy the central pond, and a range of rare fruit trees trained to the walls.

Open: Everyday from 11am-5pm (11am-3pm in winter).Tickets: Adults £11.60, children £5.80, family £29.Visit nationaltrust.org.uk

Mottisfont

Bright, scented herbaceous borders line the walled gardens here in Hampshire. They include a sustainable Kitchen Garden, combining tradition with contemporary design.

Open: Open Sunday to Wednesday 9am-5pm and Thursday to Saturday 9am-8pm (10am-4pm in winter).Tickets: Adults £16.50, children £8.25, family £41.25.Visit nationaltrust.org.uk

Read about some of the most beautiful gardens to visit in Yorkshire or five of the 500 new NGS garden openings for 2019.