Blickling Hall
Holkham Hall
Houghton Hall rose garden © Tracy Carroll
Hot border Houghton Hall Walled Garden
Mediterranean Garden Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall Walled Garden
The Old Vicarage
Plantation Garden View © Bev Cogman
Plantation Garden Fountain
Plantation Garden Folly and terrace © Bev Cogman
Plantation Garden Palm Terrace
Blickling Hall
The Old Vicarage
The Old Vicarage
Tour highlights:
Private tour with Alan Gray of his unique East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden
Exotic and tropical planting at 33 Waldemar Avenue
Tours with the Head Gardeners at Stow Hall and Holkham Hall
Tour and talk on the restoration of the Plantation Garden
Accompanied by accomplished plantsman, David Hurrion
Join us on this superb five-day garden tour through Norfolk, where history and horticulture mix in some of the county’s most beautiful gardens. From secret Victorian escapes and grand stately gardens to award winning walled gardens and intimate urban retreats, each visit offers a different botanical experience. In the company of renowned plantsman and garden expert David Hurrion, this tour includes a wonderful mix of gardens, including one of the most famous in Norfolk, East Ruston Old Vicarage – celebrated for its exotic and imaginative planting near the North Sea.
Available Departures |
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| 01 - September - 2026 | £ 1875.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrival
Arrive independently and check-in from 3pm. Evening welcome drink, and talk from David Hurrion. Dinner with wine at the hotel.
Day 2: The Plantation Garden, Norwich, and Stow Hall Gardens
We start our tour by heading to Norwich for a guided visit to The Plantation Garden, known locally as “The Secret Garden”. Offering a peaceful escape in the heart of the city, this Victorian garden features a Gothic fountain, Italianate terrace, woodland walkways and lush plantings. Following the tour, we enjoy some free time in Norwich – a modern, yet one of the most complete medieval cities in the UK with the spire of the majestic Norman Cathedral dominating its skyline. This afternoon we enjoy a private guided tour of Stow Hall Gardens led by the Head Gardener. This 20-acre private garden was inherited by Lady Rose Hare who transformed it from a garden that had fallen into neglect to a space with over 200 rose varieties, ancient trees, a walled orchard with rare local apple species, herbaceous borders, and woodland paths.
Day 3: Holkham Hall and Houghton Hall
This morning we visit the 18th century Holkham Hall, a masterpiece of the Palladian revival style, built by Sir Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. David Hurrion will lead a tour of the gardens, where he started his career, which feature a six-acre Walled Garden with seasonal blooms, shrubs, and trees, Victorian greenhouses, a working kitchen garden, ornamental borders, and a vineyard. After lunch we visit Houghton Hall which boasts an award-winning walled garden, sculpture park, and deer park.
Day 4: Pensthorpe Gardens and Blickling Hall
Our visits today start at Pensthorpe Gardens which features five beautiful gardens, each with its own character and design philosophy. We enjoy a guided tour with the gardener followed by a light lunch. We then continue to the Jacobean mansion of Blickling Hall, to look around the principal rooms, including the long gallery, often described at the grandest of its period in England. The gardens include a Walled Garden, a lake, huge yew hedges and lush 1930s herbaceous planting.
Day 5: East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden and 33 Waldemar Avenue
Today we coach to the 32-acre East Ruston Old Vicarage garden, created by gardeners Alan Gray and Graham Robeson from 1973. Despite its coastal location, exotic and diverse plants thrive here, thanks to clever planting and sheltered beds. Alan Grey will lead us on a private guided tour of this unique space which features themed garden rooms including a Mediterranean Garden with terraces, Desert Wash inspired by Arizona and featuring cacti and aloes, and a Sunken Rose Garden. Enjoy the heritage apple orchard, woodland garden, sculptures and water features. After lunch we visit the large suburban gardens at 33 Waldemar Avenue for a guided tour with the owners. The exotic and tropical planting here includes a succulent and cactus collection, dahlias and tropical perennials, a treehouse draped in plants, and a center-piece palm-thatched Tiki Hut surrounded by plants. Arrival back to the hotel for approx. 16.30hrs.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion
Please note: Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 35 passengers.
Tour Grading: This tour has been graded as moderate due to time spent walking around the gardens and standing time on tours. Pathways may be gravel, paved, or grass and will be uneven in places. After rainfall some paths may be muddy and slippery. Some gardens contain steps and terraces, without handrails. There will be some places to sit in some garden to enjoy the beautiful landscapes.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Barnham Broom Hotel
A four-star country retreat nestled in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, west of Norwich. The hotel offers a fitness centre, spa, golf, bar and award-winning restaurant. The stylish bedrooms offer modern luxury combined with traditional charm, including private bathroom with bath/shower, TV, telephone, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities.
Please note that there is no lift at this hotel. Parking is complimentary.
Your Guide - David Hurrion
David started gardening as a young child and has been growing plants for more than 40 years. He has worked in gardens and nurseries, growing on a range of different soils and in different types of microclimate. His extensive knowledge and practical experience of plants, crops and growing techniques is founded on a thorough botanical and scientific training, complemented by an in depth understanding of garden design, wildlife, geology and climatology. He also trained as a teacher and has taught a huge diversity of subjects from botany, soil science and plant identification, to propagation, garden design and crop production, and from City & Guilds through to Degree level. He is also a popular speaker with local gardening groups.
As a journalist, David has spent more than 20 years writing for and editing the nation’s crop of garden magazines, currently as Associate Editor for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. He has also written for a number of websites and appeared both as a regular contributor and an expert commentator on TV and radio. David is a popular figure in the horticultural world, well liked and respected for his knowledge by nurserymen, professional gardeners, journalists and the gardening public. He has designed, built and planted show gardens and display stands at most of the major garden shows in the UK, including the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show, and is now a Designate Judge for the Royal Horticultural Society.
He has also travelled to every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, to discover plants and gardens, both independently and on more than 50 trips accompanying groups of gardeners
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 6pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
