Fascinating, fragrant and floral facts about
North East England.

FLOWER FLAVOURS, FROZEN
Now you can follow the sights and scents of our gardens with a floral treat for the tastebuds, thanks to Northumberland based Doddington Dairy Ice Cream. Its exclusive new 'From a Flower' range features such sumptuous flavours as Saffron & Cardamom, Rose, Orchid Vanilla and Heather Honey, all made from the finest natural ingredients and available from specialist delicatessens and luxury food stores nationwide.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
Gertrude Jekyll's spectacular garden at Lindisfarne Castle was designed to be viewed from high above, so the castle architect, Edwin Lutyens, re-built the walls with a clever use of perspective to make the garden look bigger than it actually is. Jekyll apparently persuaded a village boy to climb into a basket hung over the side of the castle's rock walls so that he could plant up the nooks and crannies.

LAND OF CAPABILITIES
Master of English landscape gardening Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was born in Kirkharle, Northumberland, in 1716. Few English country houses have been untouched by his influence, and his designs in the region include the sweeping parkland at Alnwick Castle, Wallington and Gibside, where you can appreciate his hallmarks of open grassland, lakes and informally placed trees in their full glory.

MAN OF THE MANOR
Visitors to Pockerley Manor at Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum, step out of the manor house into an authentic Georgian-style garden with a parterre, vegetable garden and orchard. It was inspired by the original designs of William Falla, who owned the largest nursery in the kingdom in the 1820s, in nearby Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

GO HOME WITH A ROSY GLOW
One of the most fitting souvenirs of The Alnwick Garden must be your very own Alnwick Rose. Developed by David Austin, this rich pink rose opens into a deeply cupped flower with a delicious old rose fragrance and blooms from early summer to the first frosts. You can see - and smell - it in the Rose Garden before choosing one from the garden shop.

A FORMAL INVITATION
Fancy a picnic in glorious parkland in front of a Frenchstyle
chateau? Pack your basket and head for The Bowes Museum
in County Durham. The gardens were originally designed by the Bowes themselves and include a magnificent formal parterre and international tree trail. Inside, there are priceless art, silver, textile and toy collections to enjoy.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
...the 25-acre teaching gardens of Houghall College, Durham, are open to the public as well as its regular horticultural students? Alongside the national collections of meconopsis and sorbus there are heather and narcissus plantings; an alpine house; water garden; fully-labelled arboretum with over 500 tree species; plant sales and coffee shop.