York Gate

York Gate shows how much can be fitted into a small space without it ever feeling crowded. The garden covers just one acre in Adel, on the north side of Leeds, yet it unfolds as 14 distinctive garden rooms, each with its own mood and planting. It is inspired by the Arts and Crafts tradition and has Grade II status on the national heritage list, which is unusual for a garden of this size.

The pleasure of a visit lies in the sequence. Paths, hedges and openings lead from one room to the next, so views open and close as you go and each space comes as a small surprise. Look for the formal herb garden with its clipped evergreen shapes and for the long canal, two of the best-known spaces, and notice the care given to paving, stonework and small details throughout.

This is one of the most useful gardens in the north for anyone with a modest plot. It shows how to divide a garden into rooms, how evergreen structure can hold a design together, and how careful detailing can make an ordinary suburban site memorable. York Gate is run by Perennial, the charity that supports people working in horticulture, so a visit also helps that work. Take your time: a small garden like this rewards slow looking far more than a quick lap.