Six of the best COTTAGES FOR GARDEN LOVERS

Summertime is when the English country garden is at its best, which is why you should pick one of these picturesque cottages, castles or cabins to enjoy arural idyll, says Rhiannon Batten

- Rhiannon Batten

Priest's House
The most quintessential of English country gardens, the Grade I-listed grounds at Sissinghurst Castle, in Kent, were created by writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband, Harold Nicolson, in the mid-20th century. Now sought out by tourists for its soft blooms and romantic structure, Sissinghurst must-sees include Dan Pearson's recent reimagining of the Mediterranean-inspired Delos area. It's rare to have the gardens to yourself, but there is a way of guaranteeing it: book a stay in the site's three-bedroom Priest's House and you can explore the gardens in peace when the crowds have gone home. Sleeps six, from £1,218 for three nights.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays.

Tolstoy Cottage