Gardens


Blessed with a climate in which local and exotic species thrive, explore New England blazes of intense fiery colour; a magical secret valley, or ‘travel’ the world of plants – all right here!


Witness the ‘bloom boom’


This summer The Garden House on Dartmoor is celebrating the power of flowers. The garden team will be challenging June vis- itors to count the num- ber of flowers in the iconic Cottage Garden. The viewpoint from the garden to nearby St Andrew’s Church is one of the most popu- lar spots in this extraor- dinary 10-acre garden, where visitors linger on oak benches, surround- ed by blooms.


But just how many flowers does it take to make a cottage-style garden that is famous


that mirror the garden planting, including lots of unusual plants. The tea rooms are free to visit and the perfect spot to enjoy a treat, especially in May when the wisteria draped over the house and patio is “scent- sational”!


all over the world? After June, we’ll all know.


Later in the summer the Walled Garden takes centre stage; two acres of terraces and borders are a garden- er’s paradise, whilst


plenty of pathways and hidden spaces are great fun for young explorers.


The garden is well known for its new nat- uralistic design and the well stocked plant centre offers plants


If you visit in August, try to catch the outdoor theatre Treasure Island on the 11th, or bring a tent and join the First Great Garden Sleepover on Saturday the 25th. See the full events programme online for visiting details.


Overbeck’s garden in 2018


With a climate more like the Mediterranean, Overbeck’s is home to an astonishing plant collection. From the very first moment the house was built, the successive owners have revelled in planting the rare and exotic, and with the National Trust in charge this has con- tinued.


All the usual Mediterranean plants are here – tall Chusan palms throughout, with Cistus and Lavenders, Ceanothus and Rosemary, Salvias and Agapanthus. But along with this are plants not so eye-catch- ing, yet more unique – Pseudopanax and Schefflera, that are more often grown in conservatories, and the vast leaves of Tetrapanx and the banana Musa basjoo. A gravelled bank is home to the South African Restios and succulent Agaves, and at the very top of the garden an Olive grove looks out over the sea. What makes Overbecks so special? The proximity of the sea and the shelter of the surrounding native woodland have given it the climate, and the steeply sloping site and rocky soil drains the water fast from tender plants. But it is the eclectic and experimen- tal nature of the design and planting that is so important; using spe- cial plants in ways that try to mimic natural ecosystems.


Overbeck’s is open daily until October 28 from 11am to 5pm. There’s free entry to National Trust mem- bers. See our website for full details of our entry prices and for all the great events going on at Overbeck’s this year.


Walking through the garden is like taking a trip around the world. After your explo- ration of the garden and museum, our tea room team will be on hand to serve you with freshly prepared sand- wiches with a varied choice of locally sourced fillings – including crab – a pop- ular choice, plus vari- ous soups, salads, cakes and ice-cream. If you feel like treating yourselves you can book a sumptuous afternoon tea. Give us a ring on 01548 842893 and we can arrange this for you. Pop into the shop and take home some local pre- serves, souvenirs or even a statuette of ‘The


First Flight’, unique to Overbeck’s.


New for 2018 – after an extensive review of the collection at Overbeck’s – we have been able to better understand where all our items have come from and their rele- vance.


This has enabled us to re-present part of the house to create an Edwardian drawing room – very much as it would have been when it was a Red Cross convalescent hospital during the First World War. You can learn more about this and about Otto Overbeck, who donat- ed the house to the National Trust, as you explore.


When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your support helps us to look after special places for ever, for everyone.


You can contact us by phone 01548 842893, e-mail overbecks@ nationaltrust.org.uk and follow us on Facebook (Registered charity 205846).


Take a tour of the globe


If you have never visit- ed Plant World's amaz- ing hilltop garden cen- tre you just don’t know what you are missing! The four acres of landscaped hilltop gar- dens representing each of the five continents has been called Devon’s “little outdoor Eden” and has been featured on TV many times including on BBC’s Gardeners’' World. Rare and exotic flowers, trees and shrubs from around the world are for sale, and you can see them growing in their cor- rect “country”, whilst the children spot Katy Koala in Australia and the Yeti on “Everest” during their trip around the world gar- dens. The recently revamped plant nurs- ery now stocks a wide variety of highest qual- ity rare and unusual plants, seldom seen at


most garden centres. These range from shrubs to herbaceous perennials, alpines, grasses and even suc- culents, almost all being grown on site from our own seeds and cuttings.


All plants are accompanied by large, informative display labels to help both experienced and ama- teur gardeners find the right plants for them. We also have a knowl- edgeable and very friendly nursery team who are always happy to assist.


The hilltop cafe and brand new landscaped picnic area offer some of the most incredible panoramas in the country, with unbeat- able views of the River Teign estuary to the north and the twin


peaks of Haytor rising above Dartmoor in the west.


The extensive but simple menus include paninis, toasted sand- wiches and jacket pota- toes, with local pro- duce being used when- ever possible. In addi- tion a good range of home-made cakes and the famous Devon cream teas are sold, with a high-class espresso machine sup- plying the finest quali- ty coffee.


From the Penn Inn roundabout/flyover follow signs to Milber and Combeinteign- head for only 50 metres and then take a sharp right turn. Plant World is 1.5 miles fur- ther on, at the very top of the long hill past the Water Gardens/Teign Fitness centre.


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