Gardens to visit in County Durham

Our 2-for-1 Gardens are filled with interest all year round, even in winter. Join us this month and use your 2-for-1 Gardens entry card to experience the stillness and beauty of deep winter.

Want to know the secret to a lush, green, and thriving lawn and the right tools? Keep reading to find out How Often Can I Apply Sulfur to My Lawn and transform your garden into an envy-inducing show-stopper!

As I look outside my office window, I can see a serene layer of snow has begun blanketing my garden.  So, it seems like an appropriate time to celebrate the often-overlooked beauty and joys of winter gardening. While the plummeting temperatures have forced much of our gardens into a state of rest, this season actually offers a unique and magical opportunity to connect with nature in a different way.

Kathy Sandel sent in just a few more photos of hercurrent garden in Sacramento, California, and I couldn’t resist sharing them:

It’s the classic January flex when we start looking forward to the end of winter and the re-awakening of the garden.

I visited The Lake District with my husband in September last year. We’re fortunate enough to own a timeshare lodge on The Langdale Estate, situated between the Great Langdale Valley and the Little Langdale Valley, and not too far from Grasmere, Ambleside and Windermere. People have questioned “why go to the same place every year?”, but there’s so much to do, and we love a good walk and get competitive with our step count for the week!

It won’t be a surprise if I say the many garden visits were the highlight of my trip last April to the Côte d’Azur. All were enjoyable and fascinating, but one stood out for me. In Le Jardin Serre de la Madone, Menton, I discovered a terraced garden carved into old farming land by Lawrence Johnston in the 1920s. Already the heir to Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds, shortly before commencing his masterpiece Johnston had been so seriously injured in WW1 he’d been left for dead.

Where do hedgehogs live?

Offering some of the closest beaches to London, Essex has a reputation for kiss-me-quick resorts and dormitory commuter towns. The truth is that this flat county, defined by slow-flowing rivers, estuaries, salt marshes and oyster beds, abounds in subtle charm. The Romans settled in Colchester and evidence of their occupation can be found in many coastal settlements. In the 1560s Flemish protestants brought their silk-weaving skills to the town, while the Dutch reclaimed swathes of land for farming. 

Worcestershire provides some of the country’s loveliest scenery. With the Cotswolds to the south-east, the Malverns and the Shropshire Hills to the west and several notable rivers, including the Avon, the Severn and Teme running through it, this is a fertile, bucolic landscape that’s perfect for exploration and very conducive to agriculture. 

Boasting some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside, the Lake District, in the north-west corner of England, is a draw for anyone with a love of the outdoors. Its hills and mountains, including England’s highest, Scafell Pike at 978m, attract walkers and climbers, while in the valley bottoms, vast lakes, such as Windermere and Ullswater, invite quiet contemplation.

Blue moths are not just a mesmerizing sight in your backyard but a symbol of a thriving ecosystem.