Alan's five favourite gardens to visit

On Alan's must-see list is a garden that is the stuff dreams are made of. This garden gives you a taste of being in the Caribbean, even though it's in the UK. And Alan says he envies the man who has the lucky job of being in charge of this gem of a garden.

He picks out a garden that is more usually visited for the magnificent house that it is attached to. Alan explains why the gardens are so worth visiting, and how they tell the history of British gardening.

Alan celebrates Great Dixter and the colourful character of Christopher (Christo) Lloyd who created it. He describes how this garden, in East Sussex, is a shock to the senses with its strident colours. And how when his own borders get a little dreary, he asks himself: "What would Christo do?"

There's a royal garden that Alan loves because it is a reflection of the personality of the person behind it. And he recommends a trip to Bowood House, in Wiltshire, where the breath-taking rhododendrons leave him giddy.

Great Dixter and Bowood House are in our 2-for-1 Gardens to visit Guide.