Unwind in the Garden

Dazzling colours, seductive scents, superb seasonal shows - Kent's gardens are rightly world renowned. And with 180-plus to choose from, there's one to match your every mood and interest: grand and historic, exotic and informal, innovative vistas in the making like the World Garden of Plants at Lullingstone Castle. The famous World Garden is laid out in the shape of the map of the world and contains plants collected from across the globe.

The National Trust looks after four garden in Kent; drift with spring bluebells in the Victorian Emmetts Garden, ramble with summer roses at Sissinghurst, one of the world's most celebrated gardens, savour the romantic setting of Scotney Castle or quaint and pretty Smallhythe Place. Excite or soothe your senses on a genuinely revitalising escape (and pick up brilliant ideas for your own garden from celebrated designers across the ages).

The gardens at Mount Ehpraim offer an enchanting mix of styles, including a Japanese rock garden. At Yalding Organic Gardens, fourteen delightful garden 'rooms' allow you to trace the history of English gardening from medieval times to the present. Follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen in the fourteen acres of grounds at Goodnestone Park or marvel at the National Pine collection at Bedgebury Pinetum.

Set in the heart of historic Sandwich, The Secret Gardens of Sandwich are an oasis of calm and serenity. Designed and inspired by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, the gardens incorporate strong architectural lines with artistic, inventive planting. Enjoy a cream tea in the gardens and take an audio tour through the tree-lined avenues or flower borders.

Brogdale, home to the National Fruit Collections, offers orchard tours and tastings of fresh apple and pear juice. Visit in fruit time; cherries in June, plums in August, apples and pears from August to October. Take a deep breath and relax as you follow your nose around aromatic displays of 150-plus lavenders and 30 types of rosemary at Downderry Nursery, Hadlow. Sensational.

Use our search facility to find the perfect garden for your next visit to Kent, the Garden of England. Alternatively, explore more than 3,700 gardens that are part of the National Gardens Scheme, many of which are privately owned and rarely open to the general public.

Bluebell Watch

It's normally around late April and early May that many of woodlands undergo a dramatic transformation as bluebells flower beneath the fresh green leaves. To keep you posted about when bluebells are looking their best, the National Trust runs 'Bluebell Watch', listing places that are great for bluebells when they're at their best in the spring months. Look on the website to see where bluebells have been spotted near you: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bluebellwatch

A top location for spotting bluebells in Kent is Emmetts Garden near Sevenoaks. This delightful 19th-century garden, with its unique collection of rare trees and shrubs, has stunning displays.

Other places to admire stunning displays of Bluebells include Hole Park at Rolvenden, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens at Sevenoaks, Kings Wood at Challock, Cobham Park in Gravesend, the Enchanted Forest at Groombridge Place, Tunbridge Wells, plus of course many of the woodland sites across Kent.