1/ Garden goals

We can’t start talking about RHS Garden Hyde Hall without highlighting its 24 acres to suit all styles. There’s the Queen Mother’s Garden, with its blend of foliage and flowering perennials such as malus blossom and carpets of narcissi. They’ve also an amazing Dry Garden; a showcase of drought-tolerant plants that thrive in low rainfall. It’s also worth heading to the Global Growth Vegetable Garden, split into four quarters to showcase edible plants of Europe and the Middle East, Asia, North and Central America, and South America. Whatever type of garden you love, here’s where to find it.

2/

This is also the place to visit if you want to improve your own outside space with its informative courses and workshops. Want to know what’s damaging your plants? There’s a class for that. Unsure over what you should do this spring to see the benefits of your garden come summer? They’ve a course for that, too. You can also learn to garden in a changing climate, choose the right plants to buy for difficult spaces and even understand how to get the most out of your roses. We say sign up for their mailing list as the courses and workshops are updated on a regular basis.

3/ Free-range kids

There’s lots for all ages at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, with kids equally as entertained. Besides the fact under 5s go free (always a winner), there’s an adventure play area you’ll struggle to get them out of, with balancing beams, seesaw, slide and climbing bars. That’s before the spot Higgledy Hyde, a large wooden tower with 23ft high lookout. We also love the fact that kids are encouraged to really play, with paths to explore, hills to roll down and wide open spaces to run in. And don’t forget about The Clover Café, which you can enter for free if you just fancy a coffee while the little ones (and you) enjoy a delicious slab of cake.

4 Veg patch to plate dining

Now on to everyone’s favourite subject: food! Here you’ve two dining spaces to choose from, both of which use as much produce as possible from their own vegetable garden. The Clover Café (open seven days a week) has a great selection of teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches, as well as a tempting range of cooked items. Then there’s the Gardeners Rest Restaurant, again open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. Open year-round and looking out over the Dry Garden and Essex countryside, here you’ll find xxxxxxx (hard to locate food; would be good to pop some menu food stuff on here).

5/ There’s events on year-round

As well as courses to book up for, the gardens also host a variety of special events. There’s the Spring Plant Fair (20-21 April), with nurseries exhibiting and selling rare, unusual and threatened species. The Craft and Design Show (3-6 May) is another must-attend, giving you the opportunity to discover, buy or commission unique handcrafted pieces from the UK’s most talented craftspeople and design-makers. You can even bring your fur baby in to stretch their legs on certain days of the year (next on 16 May). All that plus music, outdoor theatre, a summer Flower Show and even booking ahead for the after-dark spectacle of lights, Glow 2024 (22 Nov – 28 Dec), makes RHS Garden Hyde Hall very much the place to visit.

6/ Plant buying heaven

What’s a great day out without a little shopping involved, heading to the garden centre to start your growing journey. Here over 80% of the plants sold come from UK growers and nurseries, meaning you’re doing your bit for your carbon footprint. There’s tools and accessories for all your gardening needs, as well as houseplants, pots and planters to spruce up your indoor space. Speaking of indoors, there’s also a wide selection of gifts, fashion, fragrance and homeware, many of which again come from local producers and UK suppliers. You can even browse the bookshelves for horticultural reads, as well as a brilliantly curated selection of fiction and books for kids.

6 reasons we’re loving RHS Garden Hyde Hall this Spring

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