There are between 40 & 60 sculptures on display, which include work in wood, bronze, stone, glass & steel.   The selection is made by Newby's Lucinda Compton, & is an eclectic mix of figurative & abstract pieces.

Beyond the sculpture park, Newby's gardens include one of the longest double-herbaceous borders in Europe, as well as the national collection of dogwoods.   And when you've had your fill of flora, there's the fabulous Adam house, miniature railway & gift shop to explore.   Group visitors can choose between standard & VIP packages - check out www.newbyhall.com to pick the package that suits you best or call 0845 4504068.

For a bit of green art history consider a trip to Castle Bromwich Hall & Gardens in Birmingham.   Designed in the mid-1600s, the gardens have a lot in common with the formal Dutch-style that was popular during the reign of William III.   In fact, the extent of the gardens' survival is what makes them so interesting; they escaped the informal English Landscape Movement of the 19th century, as well as the development & expansion of Birmingham.

It's the policy of the Castle Bromwich Hall & Gardens Trust to restore the gardens as near as possible to the period 1680 to 1740.   The trust only uses plants that were available to the gardeners of England until 1740, so you get a real sense of the traditional styles & planting of the time.

Located just five miles from Birmingham city centre, Castle Bromwich is a good half-day destination for groups.   You can find out more about the restoration, trust & group visits at www.cbhgt.org.uk.

Cultivated by the 19th-century politician & botanist Sir George Staunton, Staunton Country Park in Hampshire lives up to the aspirations of its ambitious founder.   From gardens & glasshouses to woodland trails & mazes, you'll find there's enough to make a full day of your visit.

The glasshouses at Staunton are some of the largest in the south & are home to exotic species of rainforest flora, including the Amazon water lily.   For some home-grown talent you can tour the walled garden with its trained fruit trees, herbs, vegetables & seasonal specialties.   The plants & veg from the kitchen garden are available for purchase - so if the produce makes you peckish, head for the visitor centre.   Of course, there's always the Regency tea rooms, Victorian coach-house cafŽ & farmhouse cafŽ where you can stop for some home-made goodies.

After a bit of refreshment you can lose yourself in the Golden Jubilee maze & puzzle garden.   With over 500 English yew trees, the maze makes great cover for a group game of hide & seek.

Before the sun sets you should try to fit in Staunton's award-winning parkland, sensory garden, ornamental lake & farm, Regency oval garden - & all the delightful follies along the way.

If you'd like to pre-book any tailored walks or talks for your group, give the park a ring on 023 9245 3405.   There are discounts for groups of 10 or more, & free car & coach parking on site.

You mightn't stumble upon any cloves or mace at Compton Acres in Dorset, but you're bound to come across the spice of life - variety, that is.   There are more than a dozen different garden themes, including Roman, Japanese, grotto, water, winter & heather.   Leading plants expert Mary Payne & the Eden Project's former plants director have created this season's planting schemes, making sure that the gardens are full of early flowering bulb displays, & that the spring & summer beds are set among the more mature plants & landscape at Compton Acres.   Now that's thinking fresh.  

Besides the gardens you'll find shops selling plants & handmade gifts, a choice of restaurants, & for the trainspotters in your group, a model railway.   To make your visit as convenient as possible, group & club bookings get free reserved coach parking & a welcome host to fast-track your party into the gardens.    To find out more ring 01202 700778 or go to www.comptonacres.co.uk.

You certainly won't be stuck for things to do at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden near Ripon, North Yorkshire.   On the same site you'll find the UK's largest monastic ruin, a deer park, St. Mary's Church & one of England's finest Georgian water gardens.  

The garden's history is as interesting as its suroundings.   In the early-18th century John Aislabie, Chancellor of the Exchequer, was barred from public office for his participation in the South Sea Bubble Scandal.   He returned to Yorkshire & devoted the rest of his life to the creation of the garden.   His son purchased the remains of Fountains Abbey & extended the landscaped area in a romantic style, contrasting the formality of his father's work.  

The Deer Park at Fountains Abbey has an interesting past, as well.   As the oldest feature of the Studley estate, it's had various uses since medieval times.   During World War 2, the grassland was turned over to food production; the main avenue was a major assembly point for troops on their way south for the Normandy landings in 1944.   Today the 360-acre park is grazed by 500 Red, Sika & Fallow deer, & its unimproved grassland & fallen trees provide a vital habitat for many different species.  

Beyond the park & gardens the estate holds nearly 70 events & activities throughout the year, including wildlife walks, guided tours & outdoor theatre.   If you would like to find out more, contact the group visits organiser on 01765 643197.

On the Staffordshire/Shropshire border Weston Park has plenty in store for 2006.   Work has already begun on the new yew hedge maze & orchard in the walled garden of the estate.   The garden was first built in the early-19th century, & it provided fruit, veg & flowers to decorate the hall.  

The new maze is a traditional square shape, stretching 36 metres down each side.   It's made of 1400 yew trees, which will reach 1.5 metres when they mature.   There'll also be benches in each of the four corners so you'll have a spot to rest your legs once you've wound your way through.    A restored sundial, one of the traditional features of the walled garden at Weston, will form the centrepiece.  

Work on the orchard began at the end of last year, & its trees include apple, apricot, cherry, damson, gage, pear, plum & quince.   So come autumn it'll be a great spot to get your daily five!   Until then there are loads of things for group visitors to enjoy, including the Midlands Pets & People Show from 29 April to 1 May, the German Shepherd Dog Show from 10 to 11 June, & the Proms Spectacular on 29 July.

Weston Park is closed to the public until Easter.   Ring 01952 852100 to find out when's best to plan a group visit.

Spring is definitely a good time to plan a group visit to Holker Hall in Cumbria.   From 8 to 9 April you can complement your tour of the award-winning gardens with a tour of the Holker Spring Market, where local arts, crafts, food & unusual items are available for purchase.   From 2 to 4 June there's the Holker Festival - a celebration of gardens, countryside & food, which intends to improve upon Holker's annual Garden Festival.

Of course, the gardens themselves are reason enough to plan a springtime visit to Cumbria.   Holker has won a number of prestigious gardening awards, including Christies/HHA Garden of the Year; it's also been voted among the best gardens in the world by the Good Gardens Guide.   The majestic water features, limestone cascade & labyrinth are just a few of the special touches that set the gardens at Holker apart - not to mention the Great Holker Lime, which was recognised by The Tree Council in June 2002 as one of the UK's fifty great trees.

Holker Hall offers a number of good incentives for groups of 12 or more, including personal itineraries & group tours.   To find out more ring 015395 58328 & ask for the group booking office.

Helmingham Hall Gardens in Suffolk has been the Tollemache's family home through 18 generations - so there's got to be something special about the place!  

On Sunday & Wednesday afternoons the family opens the gates to the public, giving you a chance to explore the 400-acre deer park with its traditional herbaceous borders, walled kitchen garden, herb & knot garden, & hybrid musk roses.

You should allow your group about two hours to roam Helmingham; of course if you'd like to take advantage of the cream teas & cakes in the Coach House tea rooms give yourself a bit   more time.   To find out more visit www.helmingham.com

On with the show

From 9 to 11 June Stansted Park in Hampshire hosts The Garden Show, an accessible & affordable alternative to some of the UK's bigger gardening events.   The theme for this year's show is art, design & the garden; award-winning designer Annie Guilfoyle & contemporary landscape designer Anthony Paul will be giving free talks on different gardening topics, while writer & broadcaster Steve Bradley will be on hand to help you with your gardening grievances during Gardener's Question Time.

Over the course of the two-day event you can also expect free herbal walks through the park, demonstrations on beekeeping, willow weaving, organic gardening, wood turning, chocolate making & clog making, & over 300 stands to browse.   And with loads of garden accessories, eclectic gifts, & food & wine for sale, you're unlikely to walk away empty-handed.

To learn more about taking a group to the The Garden Show email info@thegardenshowonline.com or call their headquarters on 01243 586323.

Originally staged by the local council in 1924, the Southport Flower Show is now the largest independent flower show in England.   It isn't hard to see why.   From 17 to 20 August over 100 local & national exhibitors will make their way to Southport to showcase their floral displays in Victoria Park; there'll be 500 stands selling everything from plants & garden furniture to crafts & home-made treats, & some of the UK's top gardening experts will be on hand to help you sort out your botanical blues.

Celebrity guests, bandstand & arena entertainment, & great food are a few more of the show's attractions.   Group visitors benefit from discounts of up to 15% & you can find out more at www.southportflowershow.co.uk.

So you've visited a load of fabulous gardens & garden shows, & now you're feeling inspired.   What next?   It would be great if you could take one of the gardeners from Weston Park or Compton Acres home with you, but sadly they're not part of the group rate.   A good alternative for expert gardening advice is Dobbies, one of the UK's leading garden centres.   There are 17 centres based in Scotland, the Midlands & the north of England, with two new stores set to open this year in Cirencester & Milton Keynes.

You'll find lots of different gardening & home products, as well as extensive outdoor plant & gardening areas.   Some of the bigger centres have aquatics departments & farm foodhalls; just outside Edinburgh, the Dobbies in Lasswade has a butterfly & insect world.   In Atherstone a shopping trip includes a 30-acre garden retreat for you to explore, & in Stirling you can lose yourself in one of Dobbies' Celtic mazes.

To find out more about the Dobbies nearest you visit www.dobbies.com or call 0131 663 6778.