Day 1

Arrive at London's Heathrow Airport today and transfer to central London. Check in to the hotel mid morning. This afternoon visit a private garden. Enjoy a spot of tea prior to your return back to the hotel. This evening join fellow travellers for a Welcome Dinner celebration in the hotel.

Overnight: London (-/-/D)

Day 6

This morning travel through the Cotswolds for a visit to Sudeley Castle, a medieval masterpiece with a garden that takes full advantage of its rural setting. The extensive grounds contain ten integrated, but individual gardens. The gardens surrounding the ruins of the banqueting hall and the barn are exceptionally beautiful.

Continue on for a visit to Bourton House, an attractive garden with fine views. It was designed by the owners around an exceptionally handsome eighteenth century Baroque Cotswold Village House. View well kept lawns, quiet fountains, and Cotswold stone walls, which offset a number of herbaceous borders, plants and shrubs all skilfully designed.

Dinner is on your own tonight.

Overnight: Cotswolds  (B/-/-)

Day 2

After an early breakfast, meet in the hotel lobby promptly at 8:00am, to depart for a visit to the internationally famous Chelsea Flower Show, on Members Only Day, held annually on the Embankment beside the River Thames. This is Britain's premier horticultural show of the year and a Mecca for garden lovers from all over the world.

Return independently to the hotel in London.

Overnight: London (B/-/-)

Day 7

Start the day with a stop at Mill Dene, a garden set around a lovely mill and dates back to the Normans. Sited in its own steep sided valley, the garden has hidden paths winding up from the mill pool. This well designed garden has flowers and plants chosen for their scents. Have lunch at the garden before completing your garden visits at perhaps the most influential English garden design of the 20th century, Hidcote Manor. This is one of the most famous gardens in Britain laid out by Major Lawrence Johnston. The various garden 'rooms' here have influenced garden styles throughout Britain.

Overnight: Cotswolds  (B/-/D)

Day 3

This morning is free to shop, rest and/or explore London on your own.

Overnight: London (B/-/-)

Day 8

Depart for Heathrow Airport this morning.

 (B/-/-)

Day 4

This morning's first visit will take you to tranquil cottage pastures, with grazing sheep, set perfectly amongst the immaculately cared for five-acre private garden of Rockcliffe. The garden has been cared for and created by Mrs. Keswick for the last eighteen years. See the walled and box edged kitchen garden, herbaceous borders, a sunken garden and a swimming pool garden. Afterwards continue on to Broadway for lunch and shopping before continuing on to the picturesque garden at Upton Wold. Mr. and Mrs. Bond have invited us to view their garden created in the 1970's, which is a very distinguished typical Cotswold garden. It is full of imaginative planting, with great care taken to provide lovely views from the house.

Overnight: Cotswolds (B/-/D)

Day 5

Today you will visit two famous water gardens on opposite sides of the River Severn, England's longest river. Frampton Court was the home of the Clifford sisters who created Frampton Flora, an extraordinary collection of botanical drawings, in the middle of the 19th century. The formal water garden is believed to have been built by the architects of the larger Westbury Court Gardens, which we will visit next. This formal Dutch-style water garden is the earliest remaining in England. It features canals, a summer house, walled garden, gravelled topiary walk, and over 100 species of plants grown in England before 1700. It was laid out between 1696 and 1705. Historical varieties of apple, pear and plum grow alongside the holm oak, which is thought to be the oldest in the country. The garden is set on low land on the banks of the River Severn.

Overnight: Cotswolds  (B/-/D)