Ring O' Roses - inspirational weekend garden breaks 2013

There will be expert help on hand to answer your queries about designs, plants, gardens and gardening, all in the company of like-minded GARDENS ILLUSTRATED readers, eating well and sleeping comfortably in a selection of good hotels, while also enjoying invitations to garden lunches as we tour the region.

Each break has a similar pattern, starting with a lunch together on the Friday and finishing late afternoon on the Sunday with two nights’ accommodation, all meals and travel included.

For this first year we have chosen three quintessential garden locations:

Gardens of East Anglia
17-19 May 2013

Hosted by: Dr Noël Kingsbury 
Cost: 895 per person (with a single supplement of £75)

Our first Ring O’ Roses is timed to run prior to Chelsea Flower Show. It includes visits to beautiful private gardens in a typically ‘English’ region of rural Britain. The gardens live up to their evocative names: Columbine Hall, Parsonage Farm, Wyken Hall, Feeringbury Manor and Saling Hall. At all you will be met for special guided tours to learn the essentials of creating wonderful gardens in this quiet corner of old England. You will stay at The Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds where traditional Georgian elegance meets contemporary design with an award-winning restaurant. No visit to the region would be complete without a trip to the Beth Chatto Gardens, where you’ll also benefit from a 10 per cent discount on plant sales at the gardens’ excellent nursery.

Gardens of the Upper Cotswolds
14-16 June 2013

Hosted by: Helena Attlee 
Cost: £969 per person (with a single supplement of £100)

The northern Cotswolds is a beautiful region of rolling hills and far-reaching views interspersed with ochre-coloured manor houses and cottages surrounded by a wealth of wonderful, high-calibre gardens, long traditions of craftsmanship evident in the architecture, interiors and landscapes. We have selected private gardens includingStone House, Bourton House, Upton Wold and a special opening at the outstandingKiftsgate, plus we’ve arranged a container planting demonstration at Whichford Pottery, renowned for its stylish terracotta pots. You stay at the award-winning Manor House Hotel in the Cotswold market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, renowned for warm hospitality and good food.

Gardens of the Heart of Sussex
12-14 July 2013

Hosted by: David Wheeler 
Date: 12-14 July 2013
£998 per person (with a single supplement of £100)

This is indeed a star-studded garden visiting experience, including guided tours to the gardens of Gravetye Manor, Glyndebourne and Great Dixter, as well as the delectableClinton Lodge and dreamy Sussex Prairies, ending up with a chance to purchase wonderful plants at Marchants Hardy Plants. For this tour we are focusing on the heart of Sussex, including the wooded Weald and rolling Downlands but on one afternoon venture eastwards to Great Dixter for a special opening to include a meeting with head gardener Fergus Garrett. We have chosen Ockenden Manor Hotel a charming and tranquil Elizabethan Manor House, which offers the very best of hospitality and cuisine recognised by AA and Michelin awards.

SPECIAL OFFER
Book more than one Ring O’ Roses break within the same year and we will offer a discount of £50 per tour. So, if you book all 3 tours you make a saving of £150.

HOW TO BOOK
For further information about these trips, day-to-day activities, hotel accommodation and details of how to book, please contact:
Boxwood Tours, Rhiw, Llanbedr, Gwynedd LL45 2NT, UK. 
Tel +44 (0)1341 241717
Email mail@boxwoodtours.co.uk 
Website www.boxwoodtours.com

NOTE itineraries are subject to confirmation. Places are limited, so early booking is recommended.