If you’re wanting to relax, de-stress and soak up some of nature’s peaceful energy, why not take a virtual tour of a tranquil garden in England?
This year the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020 will be celebrated digitally, and there are some stunning green havens in England that you can discover from the comfort of your own home.
RHS Chelsea
Poised to inspire garden lovers in this unprecedented time, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be hosted entirely online in 2020. This remarkable online flower show will include an array of free virtual gardening events, family-friendly activities, exclusive tours and educational talks running from 19 to 23 May.
The online celebration will come into bloom with ‘school gardening clubs’, a set of daily activities for families wanting to get creative in the garden, while more in-depth techniques can be learnt through ‘potting bench’ demonstrations. There will also be interactive Q&A sessions with RHS advisers and special guests, as well as exclusive tours of leading gardening experts’ personal garden, although their details are yet to be revealed. Those who would have showcased their fantastic floral displays at RHS Chelsea will also give you a behind-the-scenes peek into their nurseries or replicate the arrangements which would have appeared in the Great Pavilion.
The scale of this online RHS show is likely never to be repeated, so don’t miss this stellar opportunity to add a sprinkling of English horticulture and gardening skills to your spring.
Other virtual gardens to discover
As well as the blooming fun happenings at RHS Chelsea this year, there’s also a fascinating collection of breathtaking English gardens to discover from the comfort of home. These include a virtual look at Kew Gardens, several stunning stately homes’ outdoor spaces and an immersive bluebell experience.
Kew from above
Take a few minutes to enjoy the stunning scenes from one of England’s most famous horticultural hotspots with this virtual tour of Kew Gardens. Giving you bird’s-eye-view of Kew’s iconic glasshouse, pagoda and tranquil outdoor spaces, this tour offers a virtual slice of Kew’s tranquillity and grandeur.
Gardens fit for a Prince
Experience a taste of royal life on a tour of Highgrove Gardens – the grounds of Prince Charles’ private residence – with this online guide. Offering a chance to see the majestic mosaic water feature, blossoming wisteria and the stumpery, the tour a virtual world of horticultural elegance.
Spring Bulb Festival
Trentham Gardens, one of the most popular paid-for garden attractions in England, is bringing its biggest Spring Bulb Festival Festival to the web. Time-lapse cameras installed within the historic gardens, offer a chance to get your garden fix without leaving your homes. Trentham’s talented team of gardeners have been busy throughout autumn adding more than 130,000 extra bulbs, including another 26,000 bulbs in the Upper Flower Garden displays, and 27,000 bulbs to the ‘Sunny Meadows’ perennial mix – to create a riot of colour this spring.
Birdsong and bluebells
For relaxing birdsong and uplifting floral scenes, immerse yourself in a trip through some of England’s beautiful bluebell woods. Many of these sites are maintained by the National Trust and this video is perfect for relaxing or meditating to the sounds of nature in England, one of the Trust’s main aims. Classic places that showcase blooming springtime bluebells include The Vyne in Hampshire, Sheffield Park and Garden in East Sussex and Hardcastle Crags, West Yorkshire.
Lily pads and poppies
Want to discover your own secret garden? Enjoy a virtual mosey around 360 ° imagery of Gloucestershire’s Hidcote Manor Gardens, one of the best know Arts and Crafts gardens in England. With scenes that range from the poppy-filled red borders to the climbing plants in the plant house and a pond complete with delicate lily pads, there’s plenty to explore on this virtual tour.
Victorian extravagance
Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild for the sole purpose of hosting extravagant parties, Waddeson Manor and gardens in Buckinghamshire has a history of marvelling visitors that dates back to the 1880s. If you want to step into Rothschild’s world, the grand manor house, tropical bird aviary and blissful gardens can now be explored online, while a tour of the grand house’s interior can also be enjoyed.
