12 free gardens to visit this summer

Garden visits don't have to cost the earth - in fact, there are many beautiful places up and down the UK that you can enjoy for free during the summer holidays, with top-notch, inspirational planting schemes

- STEPHANIE MAHON AND SORREL EVERTON

The Hepworth Wakefield Garden, West Yorkshire

The striking modernist gallery building is matched by a stand-out small garden. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and curated by cultural gardener Katy Merrington, the space is open to all. Planting gives colour from April to November, starting with tulips and narcissi, through to taller perennials, such as Echinacea pallida and tawny Stipa calamagrostis. Sculptures enhance the plants' own sculptural qualities. Open 365 days a year, 24 hours. Gallery Walk, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WR1 5AW. Tel [phone], hepworthwakefield.org

Horniman Museum & Gardens, London

The Horniman Museum in south London and its extensive gardens are concerned with natural history and human culture. There's been a fresh approach since head gardener Errol Reuben Fernandes took over, and newer areas such as the Grasslands Garden, which celebrates wild landscapes and was designed by James Hitchmough, now complement established spaces including the Sunken, Wildlife, Sound, Medicinal and Dye Gardens. Summer opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 7.15am-8.30pm; Sundays and Bank Holidays, 8am-8.30pm. 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. Tel [phone], horniman.ac.uk

Barbican Conservatory, City of London