The garden at Hidcote

The garden is divided into a series of ‘outdoor rooms’, each with its own character. The formality of the ‘rooms’ melts away as you move through the garden away from the house.

Passion for plants

Lawrence Johnston created the garden at Hidcote and was passionate about plants. He went to endless trouble and expense to find unusual varieties that would bring colour, scent, shape and texture to the garden.

He travelled a lot, visiting faraway places like the Alps, South Africa and China. He also exchanged plants with gardeners in far-flung countries from Australia to Japan. He carefully selected only the finest varieties to bring back to Hidcote.

Over the years many plants have been named after Johnston or Hidcote – in recognition of his talent and plantsmanship.  Examples still in cultivation today:

• Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
• Hypericum 'Hidcote Gold'
• Dianthus 'Hidcote Red'
• Fuchsia 'Hidcote Beauty'
• Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Pink'

What, no labels?

Johnston's garden was private and secluded, not a botanical show garden. To keep his spirit alive, very few of the plants are labelled today.

Did a plant catch your eye when you visited? Not sure what it was? We can help.

Email us and a member of our gardening team will let you know what it is.

Don’t forget to:

• Tell us where you saw it
• Add some photos of it