Ickworth House

Ickworth House is a Georgian Italianate palace with an impressive rotunda, which is situated just a few miles away from Bury St Edmunds amongst idyllic Suffolk countryside. It is owned by the National Trust and is well worth a visit. We stopped off here as we were passing through Bury St Edmunds, just planning to grab a bit of lunch and have a quick browse around the gardens. Things don't always go as planned though - sometimes if your lucky in a good way - it was just so beautiful here we stayed all afternoon! 

There are 70 acres of gardens to explore from pleasure grounds, informal woodland walks, a walled garden, Italianate garden to a Victorian stumpery. This is definitely a place to keep coming back to through all seasons, but these are some of the plants and views you may find if you visit during June. 

A cloud of gypsophilia spilling over a beautiful swathe of geraniums. 

The bees were out in force as the geraniums spread on and on throughout the borders creating beautiful hues of blue. 

There is a lake at the bottom of the walled garden, where yellow flag irises were out and waterlilies were out in force and about to bloom. Who needs to sit staring at Monet pictures? Just come here! 

A tortoiseshell butterfly enjoying the valerian. 

The pale globes of allium reach out and stand high above tbe catmint. 

Little clumps of centaurea montana spring up here and there. These cornflowers always remind me of childhood. I can remember being with my mum when I was little and we took some cuttings from a cottage garden to plant in our front garden. It always makes me remember the house I was born in and spent my early years in! 

The borders of the Italianate garden were covered in catmint, its aromatic grey leaves and lavender blooms creating a haven for the butterflies and bees. 

A cabbage white drinking up the nectar in the catmint. 

There were several wild meadow areas which were full of ox eye daisies, creating a mist of white amongst the grasses. I love a wildflower meadow. 

An unusual specimen of tree funghi growing! 

The Italianate gardens.

There is an enormous walled garden area, which has been planted full of wildflowers and also has allotment areas within it too. These had all just been seeded and planted up in May, so have yet to come. I could visualise that these will look fabulous in high summer and early autumn. That is my excuse to be returning soon I hope and then there is the house to explore... well maybe in winter...although I think this place might be pretty stunning in spring too! I think I will be back. 

Benington Lordship Gardens

On the Bank Holiday weekend we visited the beautiful gardens at Benington Lordship in the picturesque village of Benington, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire. It is famous for its fabulous display of snowdrops in late January and February and is open to visitors for a few weeks during this period. It is then open for viewing to the public over both the May Bank Holidays and the August Bank Holiday. During the August weekend there is usually a chilli festival. 

The gardens are set around a Georgian manor house and are made up of seven acres of both formal and wild areas, including a carp pond, orchard, herbaceous borders, kitchen garden and even the remains of a norman castle and moat. 

Even the wild areas are looking stunning, the buttercups were out in full and there are views of buttercup filled meadows for miles around together with banks full of wild garlic, cow parsley and wild violets.

There are stunning displays of irises in an array of colours. I enjoyed these stunning pale blue ones the most mixed amongst pink campions and purple African lilies they make a spectacular display. 

Everywhere 'which way' we turned there was a feast for the eyes with stunning plants giving beautiful displays of colour. 

There were group after group of pale yellow irises against a backdrop of rolling countryside and the lake. 

First roses were peeping out as well as early foxgloves.

I loved this display of pastel coloured fox gloves against a backdrop of Johnson's Blue geranniums. 

Some plants and borders just took your breath away as you can see! The ornamental Alliums with their spherical, starry heads are just fascinating plants. 

These lupins were dazzling against a backdrop of fresh greenery and amongst the other vibrant colours of the border. You can see the border just stretches downwards with one impressive display of plants after another. 

The campions formed a sea of frothy link and white at the top of the steps, then the path drops down and you can wander past vibrant displays of poppies and irises. In the air you can smell the aromas and scents of the irises mingled with mock orange, whose blooms are out in full and are placed intermittently at the back of the borders.  

Irises and wild flowers bow gracefully over the carp pond. I don't know whether they are reaching for the sky or resting towards the clouds reflected in the pond!

The moat that was once filled with snowdrops in late winter is now covered in cow parsley and wild garlic and is a pleasure to walk through as you listen to the birdsong. 

Benington Lordship gardens are certainly at their most beautiful at this time of year and are a delight to wander around. After a lovely stroll, afternoon tea is served at either the house or in the village hall a few yards away. What could be better than to finish off your afternoon?