As the days become longer and warmer, gardens burst into life. Celebrate the spring season with our guide to the best Bedfordshire gardens to visit this spring.
Kathy Brown’s Garden
The Manor House, Stevington, MK43 7QB
This four-and-a-half-acre private garden in Stevington village has been lovingly designed and cared for by Kathy and her husband over the past 30 years. Spring is a wonderful time to visit with each month offering stunning displays. April is beautiful with spring bulbs and blossoms, May is exuberant with peonies, wisterias and alliums while June is a joy with foxgloves and roses.
Open every Tuesday from 5 April until the end of September, plus some Saturdays and bank holidays, visits must be pre-booked online. Entrance is £8 and children aged 3-17 years are half price, with teas and Kathy’s special homemade cakes available at £6 per person. Why not learn a new skill at a Kokedama workshop and take home your own homemade moss ball? Priced at £30 and taking place on Friday 29 April and 6 May, these include a demonstration, practical session, tour and tea.
Mill Gardens
Jordans Mill, Broom, SG18 9JX
Designed by Chelsea Flower Show winners Ian Kitson and Julie Toll, the gardens at Jordans Mill are a wildlife-friendly setting where crops, vegetables and fruits grow alongside wildflowers and cultivated garden plants. Enjoy a stroll around the ornamental flower displays, cereal crops, orchard and allotment and then continue your journey through the meadow and woodland which are havens for wildlife and great for budding explorers. As the gardens, meadow and woodland shift and change with the seasons, there is always something new to enjoy.
Open every Thursday to Sunday, 9-4pm and admission to the gardens is free. The historic Mill reopens this spring with guided tours priced at £5, or you can explore at your own leisure with a self-guided leaflet, for just £2.50. Complete your visit with a freshly prepared meal in the Riverside Café and pick up some locally produced treats in the shop.
Swiss Garden
Shuttleworth, Old Warden, SG18 9DX
Take a walk through ornate ironwork gates into this delightful nine acre regency and Victorian layered garden, complete with resident peacocks. There are 13 listed structures to explore including the Swiss Cottage, Indian Kiosk, and Grotto & Fernery with its cave-like Pulhamite tunnels. Thousands of daffodils flower here from late February through to April which will be showcased at their Daffodil Tour on Saturday 26 March. Priced at £20, the tour begins with tea and cake in the beautiful sunroom.
The popular ‘Spring Walk and Lunch with the Head Gardner’, which costs £40 per person, takes place on Friday 22 April, when you can enjoy many seasonal highlights including large banks of rhododendrons in full bloom. Online daily admission tickets are £16, children are free, and can be used multiple times for up to 30 days. Tickets on the gate are £17.50 and single use only. Admission gives you access to explore almost 60 acres of Shuttleworth, including the famous Shuttleworth Collection, historic lakeside parkland and children’s playground. Find out more.
Wrest Park
Silsoe, MK45 4HR
Discover over 90 acres of beautiful gardens showcasing a range of styles including Dutch and Italian. Wander along the formal Long Water walk and spot classical statues as you explore the grounds. In spring, Wrest Park comes to life with daffodils and primroses flowering within the woodland areas. In the Walled Garden, spring blossom on the fruit trees and fresh young foliage, along with daffodils and allium, provide fragrance and colour while the formal gardens around the house are a stunning display of colour with seasonal bedding schemes including tulips, hyacinths, violas, forget-me-not, polyanthus and crown imperial fritillaries.
Advance online tickets are £12.60, children aged 5-17 years priced £7.60, family £32.80 and include the Dairy Sculpture Gallery and children’s playground. Admission prices are higher on the day. Head to the café for seasonal hot and cold meals, drinks and snacks and pick up jams, chutneys, wines, beers, books and garden gifts at the shop.
The Walled Garden
Luton Hoo Estate, Farm Rd, LU1 3TQ
Designed by Capability Brown in the late 1760s, The Walled Garden at Luton Hoo Estate is now maintained by enthusiastic volunteers and a conservation team who continue to reveal its rich history. The stunning five-acre garden, which has a range of glass houses and is surrounded by the original octagonal wall, offers a fascinating glimpse into the historic gardens at one of England’s great stately homes.
Visitors are welcome on Open Wednesdays from 4 May to 28 September and the £5 entry fee includes a guided tour of the garden and Victorian farm buildings. The Woodyard Coffee Shop is a small café nestled within the grounds of the estate, serving teas, coffee, homemade cakes and lunches. Visit the website for information about special events including their spring open day and bluebell walks.
