Dorset Gardens
First planted in 1765 as a kitchen garden to the nearby castle, this 20-acre garden is now a delightful mix of the formal and the informal. Noted for camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias and hydrangeas. Don't miss the nearby swannery.
Buller's Way, Abbotsbury, Dorset, England, DT3 4LA
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Bennetts Water Gardens were established in 1959 by Norman Bennett, who found an old brickworks clay pit the perfect location for his collection of water lilies. And what a collection! Over 100 different varieties of lilies and other moisture-loving plants fill the peaceful site, which stretches to 8 acres. Landscaped trails wind here and there among a series of lakes. In addition to the lilies and other plants, the pools provide a habitat for a variety of pond life.
Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth, Dorset, England, DT3 4AF
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At Compton Acres you can enjoy 10 acres of gardens, laid out as a series of separate 'rooms', each illustrating a particular garden style from around the world.
164 Canford Cliffs Road, Poole, Dorset, England, BH13 7ES
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The manor at Cranborne is based on a former royal hunting lodge built by King John in 1207. It is, therefore, one of the oldest surviving domestic buildings in England. The baronial courts of Cranborne Chase were held at the manor, and medieval dungeons now form part of the manor cellars.
4 High Street, Cranborne, Dorset, England, BH21 5PS
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A long, gently waving brick wall encloses the kitchen garden, part of 13 acres of peaceful roses, herbs, specimen trees, lawns and borders. Within Deans Court is an organic kitchen garden enclosed within a serpentine wall said to have been built by French Napoleonic War prisoners.
Deans Court Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, England, BH21 1EE
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Heritage Highlight: The Saxon stewpond still survives
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Garden: Ongoing restoration and expansion of the gardens at Kingston Lacey are making for an exciting period in the centuries-long history of the property. The Edwardian Japanese Tea Garden is now complete, and visits over the next few years will reward the viewer with Flowering Cherry and Maple groves, a Bowl garden, and a Quarry garden featuring azaleas and rhododendrons. Extensive park and woodlands; three child-friendly play areas.
Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, BH21 4EA
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Penstemons and salvias are the highlights of this 18th-century garden surrounding a house built by a cousin of William Pitt the Elder. Informal landscape gardens blend with a formal Edwardian garden, a demonstration Elizabethan garden, water features, and an animal park for younger visitors.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, DT2 8PY
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Knoll Gardens, near Wimborne, is a 4-acre garden in a naturalistic style, known for its array of ornamental grasses. Enjoy a profusion of flowering perennials in this year-round garden, carefully planted to encourage wildlife and a natural environment where over 6000 named species of plants thrive.
Stapehill Road, Hampreston, Wimborne, Dorset, England, BH21 7ND
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A fanciful Italianate garden surrounds a beautiful 1660s Jacobean manor at Mapperton. The gardens feature 17th-century fishponds and a modern orangery. The manor house open to the public on a limited basis. The house and garden are in a lovely countryside setting.
Beaminster, Dorset, England, DT8 3NR
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Minterne Gardens form a horseshoe below the house which has been the home of the Churchill and Digby family for centuries. A chain of ponds, waterfalls and streams plays through the gardens, with Himalayan Rhododendrons, magnolias, hydrangeas, cherries, elms and maples featuring. The garden offers displays of spring bulbs and lush autumn colours.
Minterne Magna, Dorchester, Dorset, England, DT2 7AU
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Heritage Highlight: Capability Brown inspired 18th century landscape
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