Hutton-in-the-Forest, UK

There’s nothing quite like a spot of nominative determinism to help you get your bearings. Hutton-in-the-Forest is a pink-hued fortress of a house and, yes, it’s surrounded by trees. Not just any run of the mill natives, mind you, but an impressive collection of mainly North American conifers planted with foresight by horticulturally adventurous Victorians. And they do a fine job of keeping the madding Lake District crowds at bay. There are sweeping lawns, specimen trees, the traces of more formal schemes, a lake, grand elevated walks and, at the very heart of the space, a walled garden packed with drama even in late summer. Behind modern sculptural ironwork gates lies a conventional division into quarters, the perfect foil to planting that is far from conventional – zingy burnt oranges, trees laden with fruit, restrained topiary and slowly ageing herbaceous borders. A garden of poise and elegance in its own private secluded world.