Anyone enjoying a ‘staycation’ this summer should make the most of a wealth of gardens open to the public, from National Trust properties to privately-owned country estates, royal parks and RHS treasure troves of colour.

Don’t be afraid to ask the expert gardeners on site about the plants, their hardiness, location preferences and soil requirements.

Here’s the pick of the crop:

Scampston Walled Garden, Malton, North Yorkshire

If you love contemporary design, innovative planting and a mixture of old intermingling with new, don’t miss a visit to Scampston Walled Garden in Malton. The four-and-a-half acre 18th-century garden, once a neglected kitchen garden occupied by sheep, has been transformed into nine individual rooms separated by formal beech hedging, each room completely different from the other. Set in a glorious landscape of Capability Brown parkland, complete with serpentine lake, the award-winning Dutch designer Piet Oudolf was brought in to help realise the dream. www.scampston.co.uk; 01944 759111.

Alnwick Gardens, Denwick Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland

This immense site is perfect for the family. Not only does it house one of the country’s largest collections of European plants, laid out in striking geometric beds in its ornamental garden, and the impressive grand cascade, the largest water feature of its kind in the country, it also has plenty to interest younger family members, with an amazing treehouse and a series of water features. www.alnwickgarden.com; 01665 511350.

Dunham Massey, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4SJ

Enjoy a satisfying stroll at Dunham Massey’s 30-acre estate, one of the great gardens of the North West. Its new rose garden features more than 160 varieties, and children can spot deer or help feed the chickens. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey; 0161 941 1025.

Blickling Estate, Blickling, Norwich, Norfolk NR11 6NF

Blickling Hall is one of England’s great Jacobean houses, believed to be home to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. The beautiful parkland houses a glorious lake and woodland, as well as a secret garden. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate; phone 01263 738030.

RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB

The jewel in the crown of RHS gardens, Wisley is worth a trip in the summer just to take in the two spectacular rose gardens. The Glasshouse showcases a world-class plant collection and has three climatic zones. Meanwhile, the children can explore the scarecrow trail, finding more than 100 scarecrows throughout the gardens. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley; 0845 260 9000.