Beautiful Cotswolds gardens to visit

My favourite Cotswold gardens to visit in full bloom.

Spring delivers an air of hope, anticipation and happiness with the days getting longer, the nights getting lighter and new life budding all around us. Trees begin to recover from their autumnal shed, and blooms begin to blossom and provide a colourful setting to many a landscape.

In the Cotswolds, we are spoiled with a selection of beautiful gardens to visit, to sample all of the colours and wonder of Spring’s arrival. In this week’s blog, we will provide you with some great recommendations, each offering something different to cater for all tastes and providing you with different experiences to take in.

Located in Bourton-on-the-Hill is Bourton House Gardens. Bourton House Gardens is steeped in fascinating history, dating back to the 1500s, and has many a tale to tell. The Gardens has undergone impressive improvements since the arrival of new owners in 1983.

Enjoy the terraces that the Gardens has to offer whilst admiring the different species and colours on the various walks offered at the location. Whether you are staying with us in Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold or Moreton in Marsh, Bourton House Gardens is just a short car journey away.

For a contrasting experience with different architecture and design, then a trip to Sezincote Gardens is well recommended. It is dubbed as ‘India in the Cotswolds’, and it is not difficult to see why given it’s stature of a 200-year-old Mogul Indian palace. It offers a typical Indian style with inspiration taken from both Hindu & Muslim architecture to provide a unique setting within the Cotswolds.

There’s so much more to Sezincote Gardens from just the eye-catching architecture, and the beauty is further expanded with the Island Pool which receives water directly from springs within the gardens, before eventually joining the Evenlode River.

Farming is very much important to Sezincote Gardens and is run to a mixed farming approach. Boasting a ~ 2,000 acre setting there is plenty of arable crop grown each year which provides a contrasting backdrop to the gardens themselves. Sezincote Gardens is another great location to visit, just a stones throw away from our cottage locations.

Next up is Painswick Rococo Garden – a great location in spring to savour the pure look and feel of the beautiful snowdrop. If the snowdrops aren’t enough then make sure you get your camera out and get the bluebells in focus around the wooded areas of the garden. Of course, there are also plentiful locations of the spring-favourite daffodil to be enjoyed also.

Painswick Rococo Garden offers so much more for your visit, than just seeing the gardens. Each member of your party will have a great time, as you make memories in the maze, get cover from the canopy in the woodland walks, or watch the kids having a great time in the play area.

Make sure you make your way to the café to quench your thirsty or sample a delicious cake they have on offer there.

Painswick Rococo Garden is west of our cottages, heading towards the Gloucester area, but is again within a comfortable distance by car.

And finally for this week’s blog, we have Batsford Arboretum. Spanning across a 6-acre area, Batsford Arboretum offers many unique species across rare trees, shrubs and bamboo.

Spring is a great time to visit Batsford Arboretum and whilst there is a focus on species from the Far East, you will get to see many species from all across the globe. From the more well known Daffodil and Snowdrop, to the striking Narcissi - Batsford Arboretum offers it all.

See how many of the 2,850 specimens you can identify in the form of around 1,300 trees, shrubs and bamboo, and test your knowledge!

Batsford Arboretum is a great day out for all the family. Not just because of the beautiful trees & shrubs on display, but it is a great day out for your kids and dogs too (yes, it’s dog friendly). The little ones can enjoy the children’s trail to capture their imagination and keep them entertained during your visit.

If you would like to sample something a little different, then there is also archery available too from Cotswold Archery. For those who love bird of prey, The Cotswold Falconry Centre is adjacent to Batsford Arboretum. This will provide everyone with a fantastic day out, packed full of splendour and activity, before returning home to your cosy cottage for a restful evening.