subject: The Cotswolds Gardens [print this page] The Cotswolds have so many garden highlights which can be found in and around every picturesque village. This is reflected in the fact that the region plays host to some of the most stunning gardens in the UK.
Furthermore, the Cotswold Hills ascend gradually west from the broad, green meadows of the upper Thames to the peak which is above the Severn valley and Evesham Vale. The Cotswolds boasts a fantastic landscape which can be extracted from the famous stone beauty of its buildings.
There are so many fantastic smells and aromas that inhibit the different Cotswold gardens, from grand designs attached to stately homes to the secret gardens which form part of local residents modest homes. The majority of these homes and gardens open their gates from the very first sign of snowdrops to the last leaf of autumn and are must for anyone that visits the Cotswolds.
The Cotswolds have a national importance due to the fact that they play host to rare limestone grassland habitats and the ancient beechwoods. Furthermore, important grasslands such as Cleeve Hill have been able to survive because of their status as ancient common and a National Nature Reserve helps to safeguard the finest ancient beech.
Based on the various local traditions, the landscape is largely formed by sheep grazing; this is now prosperous mixed and arable farming country. Furthermore, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty currently excludes many urban areas but does include market towns such as Chipping Campden. The farming traditions are declining which is underlined by the fact that agriculture is now only the third largest employer behind tourism and services.
The Cotswolds are able to offer tourists quality landscape scenes, trickling streams, dry stone walls and will please you as you uncover the hidden garden treasures. The dry stone walls and limestone cottages submerged in spring Clematis and Wisterias are fantastic features of the quaint stone villages in the Vale of Evesham. Furthermore, during the spring there are a superb collection of fruit blossom from Apple, Plum and Pear. During the summer months, the Hollyhock grows constantly out of just about anywhere in footpaths to full summer and late Autumn of cottages submerged in climbing roses.
The picturesque landscape and various rolling hills and wooded coombs of the Cotswolds are complimented by an ideal climate and a glowing tradition of prosperity that has made it easy for the locals to construct fantastic manors out of the local honey-coloured limestone.
