2 for 1 Gardens - Literary Legends

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 3:40 pm

Each of our 2-for-1 Gardens has its own story to tell. This month we're leafing through gardens that have inspired celebrated authors, playwrights and poets.

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Each of our 2-for-1 Gardens has its own story to tell and many of these gardens have inspired famous authors, playwrights and poets. Enjoy a visit over the summer using your 2-for-1 Gardens card to these inspiring gardens and save money on your visit.

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Abbotsford

2-for-1 Gardens - Abbotsford

During the early 19th century, Sir Walter Scott helped to pioneer the historical novel. His house at Abbotsford, on the River Tweed in Roxburghshire, is no different. He described it as his ‘conundrum castle’, with its Juliet balconies and Rapunzel towers. A sheltered Regency garden provides a foreground for the looming Gothic facade. In the summer there are fantastical rose displays and a riverside wildflower meadow to wander through. Where better to take a moment to let time stand still than in this timeless garden.

Disabled access: Full access
Dogs: Permitted on the lead
Single visitor discount: Not available
Refreshments: Hot food and light refreshments

Find out more about Abbotsford in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the Abbotsford website for further details

Greenway

Greenway, National Trust Images/ John Millar

2-for-1 Gardens - Greenway (c) National Trust Images/ John Millar

Greenway, on the River Dart in Devon, was once home to Agatha Christie. The location provided inspiration for lots of her murder mysteries. Hunt for clues down by the boathouse - the setting for a murder in the Poirot novel Dead Man's Folly. The gardens themselves are thankfully far less sinister. With commanding views over the estuary, they include a large cut-flower garden and a host of dahlias - Christie's favourites.

Disabled access: Partial access
Dogs: Permitted on the lead
Single visitor discount: 50% discount for solo visitors
Refreshments: Hot food and light refreshments

Find out more about Greenway in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the Greenway website for further details

Rydal Mount Gardens

Rydal Mount & Gardens

2-for-1 Gardens - Rydal Mount Gardens

Nestled among the valleys and hills of the Lake District, Rydal Mount was once home to William Wordsworth. This is where he wrote some of his most famous works as he wandered through the lakeland fells, describing it as "the loveliest spots that man hath ever found". The gardens roll and tumble down towards Rydal Water. The woods above are full of birdsong, as if recalling the famous words of the poet's great refrain to "let nature be your nature".

Disabled access: Partial access
Dogs: Permitted on the lead
Single visitor discount: Not available
Refreshments: Light refreshments

Find out more about Rydal Mount Gardens in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the Rydal Mount Gardens website for further details

Shakespeare's Family Homes

Shakespeare Family Homes – Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens Credit Lee Beel c/o SBT

2-for-1 Gardens - Shakespeare Family Homes, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens (c) Lee Beel/SBT

"Summer's death hath all too short a date", so now is the time for Shakespeare's Family Homes in all their glory. Located in Stratford-upon-Avon, these include Shakespeare's Birthplace, Shakespeare's New Place (where he lived during his most prolific period) and Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Garden. The latter is a cottage garden featuring sculptures inspired by his works and plants from his plays, such as roses from Twelfth Night and thistles from Macbeth.

Disabled access: Partial access
Dogs: Permitted on the lead
Single visitor discount: Not available
Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about Shakespeare's Family Homes in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the Shakespeare's Family Homes website for further details

Farringford

2-for-1 Gardens - Farringford

The garden at Farringford, on the Isle of Wight, boasts a "careless-order'd" profusion of blooms - to use the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson; poet laureate, keen gardener, and resident of Farringford from 1853 until his death in 1892. Far from careless, this lively planting style has been recreated painstakingly to resemble the gardens as Tennyson knew them. There are little nods to his work, such as the poet's laurels (Danae racemosa), or the 'Galahad' Group delphiniums. You can even see a Wellingtonia pine, planted in 1864 by Italian revolutionary and republican Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Disabled access: No access
Dogs: Permitted on the lead
Single visitor discount: Not available
Refreshments: Not available

Find out more about Farringford in our 2-for-1 Gardens scheme

Visit the Farringford website for further details

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