The garden he was veiwing may well have been a formal 16thC parterre and knot garden with intricate plantings bordered by minature box hedges and punctuated by quincunces of clipped yew. As soon as Brown got to work, the plants were torn up and the ground levelled and rolled to merge with the surounding fields. The wide vista would be decorated by a lake and elegantly placed clumps of trees - transported there by Brown's specially designed horse drawn tree trolley. The yew topiary is 300 years old and the trees, clipped in every imaginable shape, look every day of it. Levens Hall is in the North West - the English lake District, which is renowned for its scenery, glorious at all times of year but spectacular in the spring and autumn.
Rhododendrons thrive on the rocky outcrops and in the shade of ancient trees.
Clematis montana and wisteria festoon the stone cottages. The Lakeland Horticultural Society's Holehird garden near Wndermere is stunning. Equally appealing is the South West where Spring arrives early in this mildest part of England. In April the bulbs and alpines will be ablaze, the fruit blossom out and some magnolias and early rhododendrons. There are spectacular large gardens to visit like Hestercombe and the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Rosemoor as well as charming smaller gardens like The Garden House .