The Model Gardens are an area of grassland and trees to the left of the Formal Garden, featuring a terrace garden a ‘small town garden’ and an area of shade loving plants which have the RHS Award of Garden Merit. When we visited, some of the trees were decorated by knitted bands and crochet items by local craft groups.
The Winter Garden runs along the edge of the Formal Garden. As well as decorative conifers and winter flowering heathers, this has deciduous shrubs with brightly coloured stems or highly scented flowers.
The Formal Garden is surrounded by neatly trimmed yew hedges which divide it into different areas. Running down the centre is the long border, planted with flowering perennial plants and at its best from May to October. Side paths frame vistas to the woodland beyond.
A Cool Garden was being laid out when I visited in April 2019, due to open later in the year. Along with pale stone paths and steps, this will feature white and blue plants with a small pond area. It is designed to complement the Hot Garden next to it, which is at its peak from July until Mid September with vibrant red, orange and yellow flowers. In April there was little to see apart from some bright orange Crown Imperials.
The Queen Mother’s Rose Garden is planted with modern roses. The Shrub Rose Garden next to it contains old fashioned varieties of roses. Clematis and once flowering rambler roses scramble up wooden garden features. Early flowering bulbs and later flowering cottage garden perennials provide additional colour. At the centre of the garden is a modern stone sundial.
This leads into the Herb, Potager and Cottage Garden. The Herb Garden has beds around a central pool.
The Potager is an ornamental kitchen garden based on French Renaissance gardens, with symmetrical circular beds. Flower beds are surrounded by willow hurdle edges. Grape vines are trained up wrought iron arches.
At the far end is the Cottage Garden which features a thatched summer house built of local oak wood with wattle and daub walls. This is a small, secluded garden filled with flowering shrubs and flowers characteristically associated with cottage gardens. Clematis scrambles up the walls. Plants are allowed to self set, giving the garden a very informal feel.
The Foliage Garden depends on plant form, texture and colour rather than flower colour. Conifers and evergreen shrubs are interwoven with lighter and more graceful grasses.
“Map of the gardens”:https://images-production.gardenvisit.com/uploads/images/114603/rosemoor_garden_plan_original.jpg
“More pictures”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/gardens/england/south/rosemoor/index.html
