Bourton House Garden

The Fountain Garden at Bourton House Gardens

Here's a delightful Cotswold garden that has only recently become open to the public on a regular basis. Bourton House Garden covers 3 acres beside a lovely Georgian manor house on the edge of the pretty village of Bourton-on-the-Hill.

The setting is lovely, and the garden itself does not disappoint. There are a wealth of container plantings, in containers ranging from the ubiquitous terracotta to stone troughs and lead cisterns.

Carefully arranged topiary shrubs stand sentry beside golden stone walls and help outline the garden rooms. Features to look for include a knot garden, potager, coloured borders, and a shade house. A fountain helps create an air of calm. The 18th-century manor house is not open to the public, but the 16th-century tithe barn can be visited.

Across the road from the house, behind the small parking area, is a 7-acre planting of trees, with a turf path that winds amid species as diverse as Japanese Cherries, Scots Pine, Sugar Maples, Wellingtonia, and corkscrew hazel. This arboretum trail provides a delightful contrast to the more formal gardens close to the house.

Visiting Bourton House Gardens

After years of promising myself I'd make time to visit Bourton House I finally made the time - and I wished I hadn't waited so long. This is a deliciously enticing garden, full of interest. There are wonderfully distinct garden rooms and softly defined walks, with views of the surrounding Cotswold countryside.

The golden-toned house and tithe barn provides a marvellous backdrop for formal and informal plantings. I loved it and will definitely visit again!