A very green year

[Photo/Courtesy of Visit Britain]

The Year of the English Garden offers new chances to visit many famous estates in the country, including some that are generally closed to visitors.

Tours organized by Visit Britain this year are tailored for both individuals and groups, and August festival celebrates the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot "Capability" Brown, known for designing gardens and landscapes at some of the country's most prestigious stately homes. Brown's landscape gardens are synonymous with England's green and pleasant land with their seemingly natural rolling hills, curving lakes, flowing rivers and majestic trees. Some 150 of Brown's gardens can be seen during the year, including Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth, Highclere Castle, Burghley, Weston Park and Compton Verney.

The View from The Shard, the skydeck atop one of London's biggest tourist attractions has launched what it calls the city's highest garden.

Some 800 feet above the River Thames, The Shard's garden allows visitors to see some of Britain's most captivating plants, enjoy the panoramic view of London, and enjoy cocktails from a "green-fingered" inspired menu at the pop-up bar on the 72nd floor. Through Sept 18, guests can experience the summer garden feature with the standard entry ticket of 29.95 pounds ($39.37) per adult or 19.95 pounds per child.

Two of the most interesting gardens are "academic" institutions.

The Chelsea Physic Garden (www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk) will have particular appeal to those interested in a parallel discipline: traditional Chinese medicine. Located in a microclimate by the River Thames, the "physic garden" was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to train apprentices in the medicinal qualities of plants. It became one of the most important centers of botany and plant exchange in the world and has a unique collection of over 5,000 edible, useful, medicinal and historical plants. A visit is a real sensory experience.

The botanic garden at Cambridge University (www.botanic.cam.ac.uk) was opened in 1846 by John Henslow, a mentor to Charles Darwin. It houses over 8,000 plants from around the world, including nine national plant collections and an arboretum. Designed to be visited throughout the year, the garden's highlights include the scented garden, buzzing bee borders and winter garden. Inside the glasshouse there is plant adventure from far away: huge cacti, exotic plants and a tropical rain forest.