North Devon gardens to visit nR Country ways

ROSEMOOR - Torrington
A garden for gardeners, often featured on TV. Displaying a stunning variety of garden styles, maturity, and planting with all year round interest. Its 40 acres are designed to delight and inspire a wide range of visitors, from the novice to the professional, and its fascinating explorer trails are popular with children.The Fame of 2000 roses in 200 varieties is spreading - and rightly so, for they are truly a magnificent sight. There is a stream that rushes through a 'new' rock gorge planted with ferns and bamboos, then meanders through the bog garden before tumbling down into a magnificent lake.
Tel: 01805 624067
Open: Open all year except Christmas day, April to Sept 10am - 6pm, Oct to March 10am - 5pm. Restaurant, gift shop & plant centre

Tapeley Park - Nr Bideford
With its four distinctly different themed areas set in a twenty acre site, Tapeley Gardens are home to a rich and fascinating variety of flowers, trees, shrubs and vegetables.The well known terraced Italian garden, created by Lady Rosamond Christie in the late 19th century, have recently been restored by Mary Keen and Carol Kleins. They now brim with new scents and colours, complimenting the existing rare and tender plants. This, with the stunning views, woodlands and lakes, walled kitchen garden and dairy tea rooms, plant sales and childrens play area make for an extensive and uplifting day.
Tel: 01271 342371
Open: Easter -1 Nov, Sun-Fri, 10am-5pm
Suitable for disabled in most areas, Tea room, gift shop & plant centre, Dogs on leads, Childrens play area

Hartland Abbey
Lies across a beautiful, sheltered valley by a small trout stream, only a miles walk from a spectacular Atlantic Cove. From 1157-1539 the Augustinian Canons lived and gardened in this hidden paradise. In the 18th Century shrub gardens were created either side of the abbey with a woodland walk to the walled kitchen gardens. Being an informal mixture of tender and rare plants, summer perennials, shrubs and vegetables for the house, they are pretty in all seasons. The woodland walk to the beach is a carpet of wildflowers in spring.
Tel: 01237 441264
May to Sept (incl Easter Sun/Mon) Wed, Thur & Sun(plus Tue in July & Aug) 2.00pm to 5.30pm. Cafe. Dogs on leads.

Marwood Hill Gardens - nr Barnstaple
The end result of the owner's passion over 50 years collecting an enormous number of trees and shrubs, many of them very rare, together with many herbaceous and alpine plants. These have now matured and every season sees an exuberance of flower with large collections of Camellias and Magnolias in Spring with a mass underplanting of Snowdrops and Daffodils. A succession of dramatic Himalayan and other species Rhododendrons and a great variety of flowering trees take us through into summer.The three lakes, linked by the biggest bog garden in the west are alive with ducks and multicoloured carp.
Tel: 01271 342528
Open: Open all year, daily dawn to dusk. Dogs on leads. Cafe and plant centre

DOCTON MILL - Hartland
Less than a mile from the sea, nestling in one of Devon's outstanding beauty spots lies Docton Mill. The mill itself, mentioned in the Domesday Book, has been restored along with its waterways and now generates electricity for the house.The internationally renowned garden blends with natural landscape. Eight acres of sheltered wooded valley with millpond, leats, trout stream crossed by footbridges and smaller streams. The encompassing bog garden is exceptional. Docton is situated close to the famous Spekes Mill waterfall and to Hartland Quay with its fascinating rock formations.
Tel: 01237 441369
Open: Open 1st Mar-31st Oct 10am-5pm. Dogs on Leads. Cream teas and sandwiches. Plant sales