Monty Don’s garden revealed as UK’s most loved garden on Instagram

The traditional herb garden owned by presenter and writer, Monty Don OBE, has been revealed as the most appreciated garden in the UK, according to research.

A photograph of the Herefordshire garden, which BBC Gardener’s World viewers will have seen regularly on the show, has received more ‘likes’ on Instagram than any other British garden this year.¹  

Known as ‘Longmeadow’, the garden features a heated greenhouse, herb garden and potting shed, all of which have proved popular with green-fingered Brits, with over 25,000 of them liking a photo of the plot on Instagram.

Research into the most loved gardens in the UK has been conducted by leading British window and door manufacturer, Origin, to celebrate the best garden views from up and down the country. The company has revealed a list of the top ten UK gardens, which includes a mix of private and public spaces.

Commenting on the research, Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, said: “We asked homeowners about the importance of a room with a view and over half said their favourite room had the best view of the garden.² Every year we help thousands of people make the most of the views from their homes, so were interested to find out which type of gardens they enjoyed the most.”

While Kent may be known as the ‘garden of England’, almost half of the gardens that made the list are, in fact, set in Dorset. Surprisingly, several private gardens beat some of the most well-known outdoor venues in Britain to make the list. Kew Gardens, The Eden Project and The Oxford University Botanical Gardens all missed out on the top spots in favour of private estates.

That said, the list does include several National Trust properties, including the Victorian garden at Tyntesfield, which comes in close second with just over 23,500 likes. Featuring a flourishing kitchen garden, formal terraces and topiary-lined walks, plus an arboretum and rose garden, the Bristol estate has more likes than any other open garden in the country – of which there are hundreds.

The romantic garden at Great Chalfield Manor, with an orchard walk to the spring-fed pond, yew houses and waterfalls of roses, has earnt 17,105 likes on Instagram for the National Trust property, securing third place in the listing.

A National Trust spokesperson said: “One of the National Trust’s founders, Octavia Hill, said that ‘the need of quiet, the need of air, and… the sight of sky and of things growing’ were essential human needs. Nearly 125 years later, the Trust cares for 200 gardens and 100 landscape parks, ensuring that people have space to appreciate nature and wildlife, and to pause for quiet moments in a busy world.”

Fourth is the cottage garden at the home of architect and interior designer, Ben Pentreath and his husband Charlie McCormick, a leading florist and collector. The lush garden, full of a range of plants – from foxgloves and bluebells to rhododendrons – includes a grass path to a wrought iron gate that connects the garden to The Old Parsonage. Instagrammers have fallen in love, with over 14,000 people liking a photo of the cottage and garden already this year.

Almost all gardens that have made the listing are traditionally English – all but one. The fifth most liked garden is a Scandinavian style outroom designed by lifestyle influencer and founder of the Hygge for Home blog, Reena Simon. The space, which features monochrome furniture, comfortable seating areas and festoon lighting, honours the Scandi design movement typical in Nordic countries. The outroom, an outdoor living room that can be enjoyed all year round, has received over 13,800 likes from those who appreciate Reena’s sense of style and the change from a quintessentially British outdoor space.

The garden surrounding Thomas Hardy’s thatched cottage made number six in the listing. The classic cottage garden, which features an informal arrangement of herbaceous perennials and climbing roses, received over 13,100 likes on Instagram. The Dorset property, which was originally used as a builder’s yard and for livestock, is where Hardy penned several early short stories and pieces of poetry.

Wentworth Castle Gardens, which were reopened earlier this year, and Mottisfont in Hampshire, both owned by the National Trust, were also among the gardens recognised in the listing.

Ben Brocklesby concludes: “From the findings, it’s clear that traditionally English cottage gardens still beat the competition when it comes to our favourite style of garden.”

The Top 10 British Gardens on Instagram:

1. Monty Don’s garden, Herefordshire – 25,085 likes, shared by @themontydon
2. The Victorian garden at Tyntesfield, Somerset – 23,517 likes, shared by @monalogue
3. Great Chalfield Manor – 17,105 likes, shared by @monalogue
4. Ben Pentreath and Charlie McCormick’s garden, Dorset – 14,396 likes, shared by @instabritain
5. A Scandi style outroom, South Wales – 13,816 likes, shared by @hygge_for_home
6. Thomas Hardy’s garden, Dorset – 13,158 likes, shared by @nationaltrust
7. Wentworth Castle Gardens, Yorkshire – 13,121 likes, shared by @nationaltrust
8. Private garden in Rutland, Leicestershire – 12,687 likes, shared by @postcardsbyhannah
9. Garden of private thatched cottage, Dorset – 12,091 likes, shared by @countrylivinguk
10. The Mottisfont garden, Hampshire – 11,890 likes, shared by @nationaltrust