Dalemain

Dalemain's garden rewards people who like to look closely at plants. It is an RHS Partner Garden described as a plantsman's garden, with an unusual breadth and depth of varieties, and the Hasell family who have lived here since 1679 still shape it. The setting helps too: the house sits within the Lake District National Park, part of a World Heritage Site, with views out to the high fells.

The garden has three sides to it. First the plants: over 200 old-fashioned roses that flower in June and July, rare and unusual herbaceous plants grouped to suit different soils and microclimates, and a timeline of apple trees. Second the structure: the terrace, the Elizabethan-style Knot Garden, vistas through and out of the garden, and the huge silver fir, Abies cephalonica, said to have the largest girth in the UK. Third, a sense of fun: a box topiary dragon and a sleeping earth giant in the Low Garden, the Animal Garden with plants such as hare bells, elephant's ears and a snake bark maple, and Lob's Wood, a leafy beech wood reached through a door from the formal garden. The wild garden draws on the ideas of William Robinson.

Gardeners can pick up plenty here, especially on matching plants to soil and moisture and on combining colour with leaf form. Garden tickets can be bought on the day, while house tours are limited and best booked ahead. The tearoom in the medieval Old Hall makes a good stop, and the estate is also home to the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards.