Britain: Sussex and Cotswolds gardens a bracing change from SoCal

While California gardens wither under a blistering sun, the green English countryside forms a backdrop for blooming gardens that delight the eye. English gardens differ from California gardens in many ways, including their long histories, their diverse styles based on centuries-old gardening traditions and perhaps, most strikingly, their color. On a recent a tour I led that took in English gardens at their peak, we spent most of eight days in the countryside of Sussex in southeastern England and the Cotswolds in west-central England where we visited some of the world’s best-known public gardens as well as some wonderfully intimate private gardens. Here is a sampling of what we saw. -- Nan Sterman