Castle Howard, UK

When people think of Castle Howard, the garden isn’t what springs to mind. But, away from the crowds, the walled garden is filled with colourful borders overflowing with herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees that are as well-maintained as the lawns surrounding the house. There’s a nineteenth-century parterre, complete with fountain, to set off the house, while the wider eighteenth-century landscape is nothing short of sublime, somewhat reminiscent of Stowe, with more ornaments, urns and statues, not to mention temples, than you can shake a stick at. And on the hill to the east of the house is what many a dendrophile would consider the crowning glory – Ray Wood, packed with rhododendrons and assorted rarities. All of which is tied together by the repeated motif of the pyramid. And if you still aren’t satisfied, there’s a house to gawp at as well.