Secret gardens

When you step into one of these botanical delights, it can feel as though you’re among the first to discover what makes them special, hence why we call them secret gardens!

Helmsley Walled Garden

Tucked behind Helmsley’s castle lies a five-acre secret – a 250-year old walled garden that once provided fruit, vegetables and flowers for the Duncombe Park gentry.

It’s been beautifully restored over the last two decades, with seasonally flowering and visually stunning borders, an extensive clematis collection, kitchen garden, an apple, pear and plum orchard, and wildflower meadow – with the castle walls and towers framing surprise views and contemplative corners.

The team also help people improve their mental and physical health through therapeutic gardening.

It’s also one of the backdrops for the latest screen adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s novel ‘The Secret Garden’ starring Julie Walters and Colin Firth.

Don’t miss The Secret Garden Weekend (29-31 May), when a new area opens, appropriately entitled Secret Garden, created as part of a series of events marking the film’s release. Plan your visit.

The Yorkshire Arboretum

With a collection of 6,000 trees from around the world within 120 acres of parkland, The Yorkshire Arboretum, run by the Castle Howard Arboretum Trust, a partnership between Kew and Castle Howard Estates, is a very special place.

Pick up a tree trail map and follow either the short (1-hour) or long (2-hour) trail.

A packed events calendar also includes a list of private gardens that open to the public and organised tours of the Arboretum in spring when the rhododendrons are in full bloom and in autumn to capture the tree foliage in all its glory.  

Check out the full programme and booking details.

Mount Grace Priory, House and Gardens

From the monk’s cell garden filled with herbs, flowers and vegetables to the 13-acres of newly rejuvenated Arts and Crafts gardens, Mount Grace, Britain’s most complete surviving Carthusian monastery, is glorious to visit at any time of year.

Head to the Priory in winter to find the grounds carpeted with snowdrops or wait until spring for the spectacular display of bluebells. By summer the gardens are laden with the scent of eglantyne roses before it’s the turn of the Japanese acers to show off their autumnal glory.  

Managed by English Heritage, find out more about its glorious gardens.