Border PATROL

‘Let the train take the strain’ exhorted the 1980s advertising slogan. Certainly, travelling by rail is the most relaxing way to explore any country. On a recent tour, I visited several fine gardens no more than a hundred miles from the English/Scottish border, and none too far from a railway station. Their fascinating histories reflect many periods of British garden history.

In England

The rich and unusual planting at , near Alnwick, creates year-round enchantment from delicate bulbs in spring to an arboretum ablaze with colour in autumn. In the early 19th century, Howick Hall was home to Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister from 1830-1834 and architect of the Great Reform Act, for whom the bergamot-flavoured tea was blended. In the early 20th century, Charles, 5th Earl Grey, and his wife Mabel, restructured and replanted the gardens, favouring William Robinson’s naturalistic style over Victorian formality. In their woodland garden,