RHS Chelsea Flower Show & Iconic English Gardens Tour – Sorry this tour is now fully booked
Sunday 20th May – Friday 25th May 2018 (5 nights)
- Iconic gardens of Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and Gravetye Manor
- Prestigious members-only day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
- One year membership of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
- Private tour of Gertrude Jekyll’s garden, Munstead Wood
- Private dinner at Denbies English Vineyard
- Discover Woolbeding and Nymans Gardens
- Visit to Chelsea Physic Garden and RHS Wisley
Our tour departs Heathrow Airport mid-morning or join us at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. There will be an introductory talk, lunch (independent) and visit. Kew covers more than 320 acres of landscape and gardens, and is recognised as a World Heritage Site. After our visit to Kew, we check into the 4-star Nutfield Priory Hotel and Spa, set high on Nutfield Ridge in Surrey, just to the south-west of London. Meet your group for welcome drinks and dinner in the hotel (included).
Monday 21st May
This morning we enjoy a visit to Nymans Garden, one of the most fashionable and romantic gardens of the Edwardian and interwar years, and the creation of the Messel family. The house was devastated by fire, leaving just a romantic ruin to dominate the garden. We will enjoy a guided garden tour followed by free time for refreshments and exploration.
We then head to Gravetye Manor, the spectacular home of William Robinson, author, botanist and gardener. Gravetye is considered to be amongst the most influential in English gardening history. Robinson’s ideas about naturalised plantings, allowing nature to flow into the garden were ground breaking. The house is now an independently owned hotel. We are treated to lunch in the hotel restaurant (included), followed by a guided tour of the gardens with the Head Gardener. We return to the hotel for time at leisure and dinner (included).
Tuesday 22nd May
We start the day with a private ‘pre-opening’ guided tour of Sissinghurst Castle, a romantic garden created around a slender brick-built castle tower – this is always one of our most enjoyed visits. Its designer Vita Sackville-West’s own words describe the garden: “Profusion, even extravagance and exuberance within the confines of the utmost linear severity”. There will be free time after the tour for independent exploration and lunch.
Our second visit today is a private guided tour of Great Dixter House and Garden, a cottage garden on a grand scale. In 1910 the English architect Edwin Lutyens restored the house and designed the gardens. The well-known gardening writer and lecturer Christopher Lloyd who further developed the garden until his passing in 2006, liked to tease the followers of garden fashion with bold experimentation. The gardens are now superbly managed by internationally renowned gardener, Fergus Garrett. We return to the hotel for dinner (included).
Wednesday 23rd May
Today we enjoy an exclusive members-only day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, a highlight every time this world class show is in our itinerary. You will see magnificent floral displays, extraordinary show gardens, garden tools and products, a host of garden structures and artefacts by world famous names at this classic event close to London’s fashionable shopping.
In the afternoon there will be a visit to Chelsea Physic Garden which is just a short walk from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ground. Tucked away beside the Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in London. Its walls shelter a unique living collection of around 5,000 different edible, useful, medicinal and historical plants. We return to the hotel for dinner (included).
Thursday 24th May
Today we begin with a visit to the horticultural haven, and little known, Woolbeding Gardens. Development of the gardens commenced in 1973 when American garden designer Lanning Roper was appointed. Roper’s distinctive design features are evident throughout, with clear structures, elegance and restraint being the principal elements used within the layout. From 2000, Julian and Isabel Bannerman were employed to develop the Pleasure Ground area.
In the afternoon we make a visit to Getrude Jekyll’s own garden, Munstead Wood. We will be meeting the Head Gardener for a private tour of the gardens which remain true to Jekyll’s original design from the 1880’s and surround the Lutyen’s designed house. We can walk to the local churchyard where Jekyll is buried.
En-route back to our hotel, we visit the award-winning Denbies Wine Estate. After a vineyard tour we will enjoy dinner (included) in the Gallery Restaurant with panoramic views over the vineyard and surrounding hills.
Friday 25th May
For our final visit of the tour, we go to RHS Wisley, the home of the Royal Horticultural Society. Full of ideas and information, the garden delights and inspires in any season of the year. We enjoy a guided tour so you’ll be sure to see the very best of these impressive gardens. The shop offers a large collection of books on gardening. We stay for lunch (independent) at Wisley. We then make two coach drop-offs; the first at Heathrow Airport and the second in central London. We can advise on departure planning.
Nutfield Priory
Nutfield Priory is a 4-star country house hotel and spa inspired by the Neo-Gothic splendour of the Palace of Westminster.This unique Victorian mansion house in Surrey, which dates back to 1872, delights with its stylish interiors hung with fine paintings, unique artwork and many original features.
The hotel is set in 12 acres of private grounds and has a lovely English garden and fully equipped health club including indoor pool, squash courts, gym and spa. All rooms are en-suite and offer free wi-fi access.
| Tour cost per person (sharing twin or double room) | Single Supplement (for single occupancy of a double room) |
| £2,390 (GBP) | £280 (GBP) |
PRICES INCLUDE: Accommodation at 4-star hotel with en-suite facilities based on twin/double room share; buffet breakfast daily; lunch and/or dinner daily (see itinerary); admissions to gardens and prestigious member’s only day at Chelsea Flower Show; one year’s membership of the RHS; deluxe coach travel with professional driver; guided tours and speakers as described in an information pack provided at the start of the tour; services of your Sisley tour director throughout; arrival transfers are included only if you are joining the tour at Heathrow Airport or meeting us at Kew Gardens on the first morning of the tour.
PRICES EXCLUDE: Airfares; passport and/or visa fees; beverages; laundry; telephone calls; lunches and dinners (except where included in the itinerary); gratuities; souvenirs and items of a personal nature.
We are delighted you’ve decided to join a Sisley Garden Tour. There are several ways to book:
- You can book directly through Sisley Garden Tours
- You can book through our appointed agents in Canada or USA – details below
- You can ask your local travel agent to contact us and book on your behalf
- We can also offer Bespoke Tours for small groups (minimum 10). Please contact us with your requirements.
We very much look forward to welcoming you.
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