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Chewton Glen and Exbury Garden, England CHEWTON GLEN IN HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, is recommended by the Relais and Château Hotel group. It is much more than an elegant place to stay; it is a great destination for visiting England in May to relish the sweet smells of lilacs and wisteria and to witness the colorful abundance of rhododendron and wild azaleas. Our adventure began at Exbury Gardens, the two hundred-acre estate that Lionel de Rothschild acquired on the Beaulieu River in 1919. Rothschild planted trees such as copper beeches, cedars, and holm oaks that form a green backdrop for a diverse woodland planting of more than two thousand camellias and thousands of crimson, red, and yellow rhododendron. Chief gardener John Anderson, a delightful Irishman , guided us through the charms of this exuberant garden. Anderson toured us through the park, whose central feature is three reflecting pools connected by stair-step waterfalls. He advised that maintaining a garden of this size was all about balancing: balancing shade and light; balancing moisture and drought; pruning and letting plants grow. He noted that this part of England has only twenty inches of rain a year, making a watering system essential. The grass paths were easy on the feet and led to a vista of sailboats on the Beaulieu River. Anderson, with his keen Irish wit, told us that the secret to the Rothschild’s longevity was fresh air, chocolate, wine, and a dictionary that excluded the word cholesterol! He enjoyed the challenge of working for Rothschild, a man who always had a new vision. Their current project is to create more fall color through the planting of tupelo trees and purple Japanese maples. We found our hotel, Chewton Glen, which is located in New Milton, just off the English Channel. The hotel sits on sixty acres of gardens. We swam in the inviting outdoor swimming pool. On taking the thirty-minute walk down to the coast, we found the waves pummeling the shore. The hydrotherapy baths were enjoyable, and each morning there was the requisite workout in a perfectly equipped gym. We dined at the hotel’s acclaimed Marryat Restaurant and breakfasted on smoked salmon and mouth-watering croissants laced with lemon curd. We were served attentively by young waiters from France, Poland, Hungary, Spain, and Germany as well as England. A walk around the grounds with the head gardener, Darren Venerable, gave me new insight into the problems of being associated with the European Union. Each year places open to the public must hire a tree surveyor who inspects every tree, ordering those cut down that might pose any hazard. At Chewton Glen many old 84 England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland beeches had been demolished as a result of the inspector’s orders. Another regulation requires the daily keeping of the amount of water used on the place. Darren was proud of his well-kept blue and white herbaceous borders that were framed by a lavender and white wisteria pergola. Darren’s kitchen garden contained all the herbs used at the bar and also in the kitchen. He proudly showed me the beds of Butlers’ sorrel for soups and spearmint for the bar. We were not surprised to learn that Chewton Glen has been awarded many accolades including the Walpole award for British Luxury Service as well as the Gallivanter’s Guide Award for being one of the several best small hotels under one hundred rooms in the world. Our third-floor suite had a bucolic vista of the meadow and stream and the forests beyond. My greatest pleasure was walking the grounds and discovering the beauty of the English countryside in May. We dawdled our way along a riverside path next to a meadow below the hotel and came upon countless azaleas, rhododendron, and wildflowers in full bloom. As we meandered the carefully manicured fairways and greens of the hotel’s nine-hole, three-par golf course, we recalled Ben Hogan’s admonition, “Want to improve your putting game? Chip close to the pin!” If you go: Exbury Gardens, www.exbury.co.uk, below Southampton near Beaulieu Chewton Glen, www.chewtonglen.com, New Milton, Hampshire, England ...

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