Tour Chelsea and the Gardens of Britain with Keith Kirsten

Keith Kirsten, South Africa’s best known gardening personality, will be returning to his beloved Chelsea Flower Show in 2023, and is inviting you to join him. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be complemented by visits to some of Britain’s most magnificent gardens, made more unique by tours with the owners and head gardeners of these sublime properties. 

The 10-day tour will run from 22 to 30 May 2023, and the itinerary will include a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show on the exclusive Members’ Day, usually reserved for VIPs and members of the Royal Horticultural Society, while another notable highlight is a visit to the gardens at Highgrove, the personal home of His Royal Highness King Charles III.

Keith has leant on his considerable knowledge of English gardens to arrange visits to some of the finest examples in the country. Wisley in Surrey offers 240 acres to explore and is one of the UK’s most visited gardens, and we will enjoy a private tour of its attractions. Mapperton, the home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, was the location for the film Far from the Madding Crowd and has been voted the Nation’s Finest Country House. We will also visit smaller, newer and more functional gardens such as the those of Southwood Farm, a prime example of an organic smallholding, and the 20-acre garden of Stephen Anderton, the gardening correspondent of The Times, set in the Black Mountains of Wales.

The tour will take a turn towards the romantic and beautiful Cotswolds, where we will visit the Kiftsgate Court Gardens, one of the hidden treasures of the Cotswolds, as well as the gardens of Uptonwold. This is one of Keith’s favourite gardens, set in a hollow and creatively designed to make it a most rewarding and intriguing garden to explore.

Helmingham Hall is another high point in a tour full of them. It has been owned by the Tollemache family for hundreds of years, and the current Lady Tollemache is a garden designer who has offered Keith and his group a special invitation to visit the Hall as her guests.

These are but a few of the incredible gardens that are included in this bespoke tour, a tour that will create memories for a lifetime.

Join Keith Kirsten on this once-in-a-lifetime special tour for R89 875 per person sharing. For reservations and further information please contact Dianne at XL Oceanair Travel on 011 772 1112 or dianne@xloceanair.co.za, or email Rose and Keith at office@keithkirsten.com.