Little Benville House, Corscombe

The garden has been developed since 2014 when Jo and Gavin Bacon had asked Hugo Bugg to design a garden for them. The rhododendrons were removed and terraces by the house are interspersed with lawn, dropping gently down to the wildflower meadow and the meadows, hedgerows and glorious oaks beyond. A lawn stretches away from the house, with a woodland border on one side and on the other a densely planted perennial border, screening an immaculate vegetable garden.

Minterne, Minterne Magna

The house at Minterne, built between 1904–06, was the rather eccentric creation of the Arts and Crafts architect Leonard Stokes. Admiral Robert Digby acquired the previous house in the mid-18th century and planted trees and formed the lakes and cascades. However, a spur of greensand enabled later Digbys to plant the magnificent woodland garden with its specimen trees, magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Ven House, Milborne Port

The Grade I listed house was built by 1730 and extended in 1837 by Decimus Burton. The house and gardens have remained largely unaltered. The entrance is flanked by three magnificent cedars and yew topiary. To the rear, a large formal parterre leads onto an informal park. Two walled gardens are planted as an orchard and vegetable garden. The house and gardens have been lovingly restored by the current owners.

Photograph by Marianne Majerus, courtesy of Harris Bugg Studio