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bearded Iris might not sound that pretty, but before you get the wrong idea we should point out that ‘she’ is an award-winning flower – one of many you’ll find in the fascinating gardens of Myddelton House in Enfield.

Myddelton is one of London’s best kept secrets, with gardens chock full of interesting plants collected by E. A. Bowles (1865 - 1954), an expert botanist, author, artist and Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.

There are areas dedicated to different types of plant and imbued with Bowles’ own personal touch. In the rock garden, for example, he positioned each individual boulder himself – to create the perfect conditions for alpine plants – and used to take regular dips in the pond, in his blue and white striped bathers. Nice.

If you’re still keen to smell the roses after that, Enfield has plenty more to see. Just 10 minutes down the road you’ve got Capel Manor Gardens, with 30 acres of Italian mazes, Japanese gardens, Sunflower Street and more.

And if all of that has you inspired, then head to Crews Hill, which has the largest number of specialist garden centres, nurseries and aquatics centres in the UK, not to mention the Plough pub. After all, gardening’s thirsty work eh?