Stories

If you’re looking for somewhere special to escape the hustle and bustle this Christmas, look no further than the National Trust. See historic houses decked out for the season in the style of centuries gone by, or stroll through frosty winter gardens covered in sparkling lights.

Although most of us tend to think of gardens in their spring and summer glory, winter gardens can be quite beautiful in their own way. Here are some NT gardens to check out this season

Capability Brown was the most talented and prolific of the artists who created the thousands of English Landscape Gardens—gardens on a scale that seem natural and irregular. Brown’s artistry often goes unnoticed as it blends so subtly into the landscape and its impact has been mostly overlooked. He is associated with more than 250 sites covering 200 square miles in total.

One of the most famous and iconically English gardens in Britain is the famed Arts & Crafts garden, Hidcote located in Gloucestershire. Designed by the American horticulturalist, Major Lawrence Johnston, Hidcote would come to influence countless gardeners both in Britain and around the world. Among its admirers were Graham Stuart Thomas, Vita Sackville-West and Norah Lindsay.

Home of the Stewart family, Mount Stewart has delighted visitors for over two centuries, but it is for the beautiful gardens created by Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry that the house is best-known today, attracting visitors from around the world.

Nymans was the home of the talented and creative Messel family. Today it is one of England's most inspiring gardens. Exuberant floral displays, captivating views and stunning plant collections are designed to impress, while its rooms, corners and archways offer intimate and secret places in which to relax

Some of our favorite shows and movies imported from the UK are filmed at National Trust properties.

Everything you need to know to appreciate these dainty winter flowers

Planted in the form of a medieval cathedral, a grove of trees becomes a memorial

Who doesn’t love a great topiary garden? It just brings a smile to your face—well at least it does to ours. However, not everyone feels the same way: as some anonymous wag once described a topiary garden in England: “The monstrosities doth multiply…” Given the range of reaction it inspires, topiary has gone in and out of fashion over the centuries. We think it’s all good fun.