Top gardens to visit in the South West

Near Torpoint, the garden at Antony is home to playful topiary, intriguing sculptures, fountains and sweeping views over the water. In summer, the garden comes to life with roses, peonies, daylilies and catmint.

Glorious Cornish garden with valley views and an expansive estate to explore. The garden features terraces, ponds and orchards with 150 local apple varieties.

An ancient and atmospheric estate with a medieval garden rich in archaeology and wildlife. In the walled King's Garden, cloud-like box hedges follow neat paths where you can wander and breathe in the perfume of highly scented roses and lavender.

Peaceful and playful valley garden near Falmouth, where big leaves and exotic flowers thrive in the jungle-like lower valley and sun-loving specimens enjoy the upper banks. Colourful wild flowers are currently covering the grassy banks above the maze and bring vibrant colour to the garden for visitors to enjoy.

You'll find ancient woodlands and tranquil riverside paths on Lanhydrock's estate, near Bodmin. There's no need to book to walk around the estate, but tickets must be booked to visit the garden.

Sheltered garden bursting with exotic trees and shrubs where you can follow in the footsteps of the 1920s plant hunters to see plants that flowered in Britain for the first time. Winding wooded paths lead to sea views across Mount's Bay.

An estate with maritime views and woodland walks, near Truro. Explore the meandering paths through the garden, leading to exotic plants and herbaceous borders.

Tranquil small but varied garden complete with Elizabethan knot garden, wild meadow and orchard, open for local walkers.

On the edge of Exmoor there are over 20 miles of footpaths to explore on the estate, plus pleasure grounds and a Victorian garden to discover.

Tranquillity and history meet at this ancient gem in the Tavy Valley landscape, with gardens, meadows, orchards and woodlands to explore.

High above the ancient woodlands of the Teign Gorge stands Castle Drogo. The Lutyens designed garden is colourful in all seasons, and there are miles of pathways to explore through woodland and along the riverside of the Teign Gorge.

In this RHS accredited garden viewpoints give enticing glimpses out to sea, paths weave through glades past tranquil ponds, and tender plants from the Mediterranean, South Africa and New Zealand thrive in the moist and sheltered coastal valley.

At Greenway, swathes of summer flowers, walled gardens, river views and romantic woodland combine to make up 'The loveliest place in the world' in the words of Agatha Christie.

The deepest river gorge in the South West, with 30m high waterfall, Lydford Gorge gorge is filled with wildlife, plants and trees that enchant the senses.

A hidden paradise of subtropical gardens, Overbeck's is tucked away on the cliffs above Salcombe. The garden is bursting with colour, filled with exotic and rare plants and surprises round every corner.

A peaceful retreat set within the beautiful Devon countryside near Bovey Tracey, Parke is open with no need to book to visit. Take a short stroll around the garden, or a longer more strenuous walk through the woodlands and along the river to the medieval weir.

A 19th-century garden and parkland near Tiverton, with woodland walks and acres of tenanted farmland where you may even spot Exmoor Horn sheep. The formal and woodland garden is one of the finest and most varied plant collections in the country.

A glorious landscape garden surrounded by parkland, a stone's throw from Exeter, beautiful year-round with rhododendrons, magnolias, champion trees and formal lawns. Explore winding paths, climb an extinct volcano, discover an Iron Age hill fort and take in distant views towards Dartmoor.

At Saltram there's a secret garden to lose yourself and parkland with riverside and woodland walks. Strolling through this precious green space on the outskirts of Plymouth, you can almost forget that the city lies so close.

Situated near Bath, this ancient parkland is full of magnificent trees and view points with extensive vistas that stretch as far as the Welsh mountains. The garden is home to sumptuous planting, formal areas and peaceful wooded terraces.

Arts and Crafts-inspired garden with intricately designed outdoor spaces in the rolling Cotswold hills. Explore the maze of narrow paved pathways and discover secret gardens, delightful vistas and colourful planting.

Tudor hunting lodge set proudly in an estate on top of the Cotswold escarpment, looking down into the Ozleworth valley and to the Mendips beyond. The quaint gardens and sprawling parkland are filled with summer blooms.

The garden of this Cotswold manor house is the perfect place to unwind and explore hidden vistas, quiet corners and unexpected delights.

A rare and beautiful survivor, explore the canals in this Dutch water garden near Gloucester; the only restored one in the country.

Home to a walled White Garden, Rose and Iris Garden and Lily Garden which were influenced by Gertrude Jekyll, with playing fountains, vibrant colours and intoxicating scents.

Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote some of his best works in his three years living in this 17th-Century cottage. The garden was an important retreat and muse for the poet in the 18th century, and is now a representation of Coleridge's time here incorporating key elements of the poet's life and work by featuring an orchard, bower and wildflowers.

Dramatically sited on a wooded hill, Dunster Castle is a place of dramatic vistas and subtropical gardens near Minehead in Exmoor. The terraced garden displays varieties of Mediterranean and subtropical plants leading to the tranquil riverside wooded garden below.

A beautiful Arts and Crafts garden of 'rooms' containing a magical collection of topiary and herbaceous borders. Tranquil walks on the estate take you along the River Cary.

A beautiful and intimate 18th-century landscape garden in Bath, undergoing a major restoration on its historic dams. Set in a sweeping valley above Bath, it's a place of magnificent views and lawns to relax on, with one of only four Palladian bridges in the world.

One of the few Elizabethan houses in England to have retained its setting within a compartmented garden, Montacute is complete with herbaceous borders, a magnificent fountain, orchard and parkland.

A place of floral beauty, tranquillity and innovation, Tintinhull Garden is a gardener's paradise. Glittering pools, secluded lawns, colourful borders and clipped hedges provide the perfect spot to relax and unwind, not far from Yeovil.

Extensive garden and parkland, just a stone's throw from Bristol. Terraces, a rose garden, an empty lake, woodland, champion trees and the kitchen garden balance faded beauty and function with an abundance of nature.

World-famous landscape garden with magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, rare and exotic trees and summer flowers creating colourful displays.

At Avebury, the world's largest prehistoric stone circle partially encompasses a pretty village where you'll find Avebury Manor. Made of 'garden rooms' each with a different character, from formal lawns to orchards, topiary and kitchen gardens, you can immerse yourself in this delightful, gentle space.

You can wander through the grounds and garden of this country house with monastic roots, once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the photographic negative. There have been gardens at Lacock Abbey for nearly 900 years. Each new owner has refashioned the grounds, from the herb and vegetable gardens that supplied medieval nuns to the pleasure grounds of a fashionable 18th century gentleman.

Romantic Arts and Crafts garden near Melksham with terraces, topiary houses, gazebo, lily pond, roses and views across the spring-fed fishpond. A charming 15th-century manor house sits peacefully in the countryside, complete with a moat, barns, gatehouse and delightful parish church.

Charming English country garden full of variety, with peaceful water gardens, herbaceous borders, organically shaped topiary and an imaginative use of colour and planting.