England: Perch Hill with Sarah Raven and Gardens of the South East
13th Jul 2026
Key Highlights
- Exclusive visit to Perch Hill with Sarah Raven
- The historic Riverhill Himalayan Garden
- An expert-led vineyard tour and wine tasting at the Hush Heath Estate
- The plantsman’s haven of Great Comp Garden
Summary
What could be finer than strolling through an English country garden at the height of summer, when the flowers are at their peak and the scent of roses fills the air. This four-day trip features visits to world-class gardens in the South East, plus an exclusive event hosted by the inspirational Sarah Raven.
Anyone with a passion for gardens and gardening will delight in the itinerary. Highlights include the shrubs and perennials of Great Comp Garden; the restored Walled Kitchen Garden at Titsey Place and Riverhill Himalayan Garden with its recently restored Edwardian Rock Garden and extensive views across the Weald of Kent. We also enjoy a guided tour and tasting at the spectacular Hush Heath Estate home to the Balfour Winery.
The marquee event of our tour is a visit Sarah Raven's garden at Perch Hill, where Sarah will give a special one-hour talk, telling the story of Perch Hill's 25-year transformation from a ramshackle former dairy farm into two acres dedicated to flowers and inspirational gardens. After an informative guided tour with members of the gardening team we sit down to a two-course lunch featuring the freshest possible produce from the kitchen garden.
What's included
- Accommodation
- Meals as per itinerary
- Entries to all sites as per the itinerary
- Services of a professional tour manager
- Comfortable coach travel throughout
Meet your tour manager
Trevor Edwards
Trevor Edwards has been a self-employed Horticulturist for almost 50yrs. For the first 25 years, he operated his own small Garden Centre in his hometown of Carrickfergus. Since then, he has worked as a Garden Designer & Consultant. He has featured on TV & Radio programmes. In recent years, he has travelled all over the world as a Garden Tour Manager including Italy, Sicily, Spain, France, USA, Japan, Morocco, Singapore & New Zealand, Grenada, Barbados, Mauritius & Gardens of India’s Golden Triangle. Garden Tours of Ireland feature regularly in his busy schedule, bringing gardeners form all over the world to visit the wonderful Gardens of the Island of Ireland. He has lectured in many countries on the Gardens of Ireland on behalf of Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland to promote Garden Tourism to the Island of Ireland. Trevor is/was a - Director/Trustee of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust - Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners - Freeman of the City of London. - President/Trustee of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council organisers of the Best Kept Awards Northern Ireland (Towns & Villages) - Area Organiser of the National Gardens Scheme in Northern Ireland from 2020 to 2024 - Former Director/Trustee of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. (Now UAH) - Member of the Ulster Tree Committee in the 1980s
Day by Day Itinerary
We depart our pickup point in London and continue to Great Comp Garden – a beautiful seven-acre garden with many beautiful and rare shrubs, perennials and other hardy plants. This Kent Garden is a plantsman’s haven. The year starts with Helleborus, followed by magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas, then the remainder of the year follows with rare and exotic shrubs and perennial plants such as the huge collection of Salvias. There are areas of formal and informal plantings linked with meandering grass paths and ruins homing in on an Italian Garden. We enjoy a guided tour here.
Later we continue to our hotel.
Meals Included:Breakfast, Dinner
Departure Routes
| Location | Pickup Time | Dropoff Time |
|---|---|---|
| London | 10:00 | 16:00 |
** Please note that all timings are approximate and subject to change. Final timings and pick-up points will be confirmed with your joining instructions approximately 10 days prior to departure. **
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