In and around Buckinghamshire...

Gardens are blazing with colour in Buckinghamshire. This year there's pastel planting at Waddesdon, stunning colour-block planting in Cliveden's Long Garden and bedding on Hughenden's parterre inspired by the quintessential afternoon tea.

It doesn't take much to encourage a British person to think about a picnic. A glimpse of sunshine, a sniff of scotch egg or finding a blanket in the back of a car. Here are some great picnic spots in wild flower meadows and woodlands near you at Hughenden, Stowe and Cliveden.

Look out for summer flowers such as small scabious, kidney vetch, common bird’s foot trefoil and even orchids in the meadows in the Chilterns Countryside and at Hughenden, Cliveden and Stowe.

Whether you live here or are coming to visit, here's a reminder of the wonderful places nearby. There are magnificent country houses such as Claydon or Waddesdon for a grand day out, or rolling hills and woodlands for glorious walks at Hughenden, Stowe and Ashridge. When the big-hitters are busy, why not check out some of the smaller hidden gems in Buckinghamshire?

We have some of the finest country houses such as Waddesdon and Claydon and breathtaking formal gardens with parterres at Hughenden, Waddesdon and Cliveden in this region. Tumbling herbaceous borders, informal pleasure grounds, orchards and kitchen gardens complete the picture.

The Chilterns are well known for their rolling hills, wooded green valleys and chalk downland meadows. They're perfect for a ramble or a picnic. For walks with easily accessible paths in a carefully designed landscape dotted with elegant statues, monuments and temples, Stowe is your perfect destination.

Find out how we're managing ash dieback in the places we look after in the Bucks, Berks and Oxfordshire area.

2015 saw the start of a new phase of restoration for the gardens at Stowe. The Landscape Programme is comprised of 54 tasks to reinstate many of the lost temples and monuments that once ‘dressed’ the gardens like pieces of a theatre set whilst undertaking maintenance on structures and lakes. The project has achieved many significant milestones and has been extended to complete some of the more complex tasks. Read more and keep up to date here.

Discover more about the work we're doing to prolong the life of our ancient trees. Throughout Europe ancient and veteran trees are now rare. At Ashridge Estate, Chrissy Hardy and the ranger team are fundraising to ‘halo-release’ 1000 veterans.