The Laskett Gardens

In 1973 the recently married historian Roy Strong and designer Julia Trevelyan Oman purchased The Laskett, an early Victorian house midway between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye, set in the corner of a four acre triangle of land. Garden fever seized them early on and with little money and labour at their disposal, but with a cornucopia of ideas, they set out to make the stunning series of garden rooms you see today.

It is a garden inspired by the great gardens of the pre-1914 era, by Italian gardens like the Villa Lante and by those of Tudor and Stuart England. As a result strong architectural structure abounds, underpinned by the emphasis on dramatic vistas and on surprise as a central concept.

The Laskett Gardens are one of the largest private formal gardens to be created in England since 1945.  They include a rose garden, pleached lime avenue, orchard, kitchen garden, knot garden, fountains, statuary and parterres as well as a spectacular array of topiary and rich herbaceous and prairie style borders.

The gardens have undergone recent redevelopment after the death of Dr Trevelyan and Sir Roy decided that the infrastructure was over mature – hedges were re-cut, vistas opened up and the planting reconditioned.

Uniquely, The Laskett Gardens tell the story of the owners – their marriage and their creative lives in the arts.

The Laskett Gardens