A Winter Visit

I’ve been to RHS Rosemoor twice this year: once in winter and again in full summer. I like visiting gardens in winter — they’ve become much more of a “thing” in recent years — and at a time when my own garden is looking rather drab, I enjoy seeing what I could be doing.

On that winter visit I had high expectations, having just been to some wonderful winter gardens in Sussex. Sadly, the winter garden at Rosemoor had just been cleared ready for replanting — a disappointment. I wandered the rest of the garden, more with an eye to imagining what it might be like in the summer. There were still gems to be found….

Summer in Full Bloom

Summer did not disappoint. The rose garden was in full bloom, a sheer delight. I adore roses. Perhaps it is because they remind me of Pop’s roses in my grandparents’ Devon cottage garden. The scent, the mix of colours, the sheer abundance of a full rose garden is something I always gravitate towards.

The Kitchen Gardens

I was also keen to see the kitchen gardens - they have always been close to my heart. My parents and both sets of grandparents grew vegetables, and it’s something I enjoy too. A neat wigwam of runner beans always takes me straight back to childhood: we had just returned from our three-week holiday on Scilly, and the first thing I would do was run down the garden to see how many beans had grown in our absence. I still love eating them raw, straight from the plant. At Rosemoor I felt full of envy at the sheer abundance and variety — if only I had more time!

A wigwam of runner beans with tree spinach at the base

A Garden with a Modern History

RHS Rosemoor has a relatively recent history compared to many of the gardens I visit. It was the home of Lady Anne Berry, who began planting here in the 1950s with a passion for rare and unusual trees and shrubs. Over the years she transformed a steep Devon valley into a plantsman’s paradise. In 1988 she gifted the garden to the Royal Horticultural Society, ensuring its future and allowing it to expand into the 65 acres we see today. Since then, the RHS has added features like the formal rose garden, the hot and cool gardens, the winter garden, and the kitchen gardens — each contributing to the sense of variety and discovery.

Hot and Cool Gardens

As I wandered back up the garden I came through the hot and cool gardens. This is an interesting concept, familiar from great gardens such as Hidcote, Sissinghurst and Great Dixter. At Rosemoor the two are set in juxtaposition, so you pass from one straight into the other — and the contrast is immediate. The hot garden (not just a border but a whole room) was loud, blousy and exciting; I could almost feel my temperature rise as the bright colours surrounded me. Then, stepping into the cool garden with its blues, mauves, whites, and a stream meandering through silvered stones, I breathed out. Here was my place — calm, reflective, and peaceful. Each had its beauty, but together they made a powerful experience.

Reflections and Memories

Reflecting on my visits, what strikes me most is how much emotion is bound up in gardens. I enjoy visiting historical houses, but they are someone else’s home, with their stories, not mine. Plants are different: they are universal, shared, and they spark personal memories. A rose in your garden is a reflection of mine. That is why I always prefer visiting gardens to houses — they change with the seasons, they are never quite the same twice, and they hold my history as well as their own beauty. Plants are not just beautiful in their own right — they carry our memories, and that is what makes them truly special.

Memories at Rosemoor, Devon