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For horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll it was the “grand teacher”; for Monet, his “greatest masterpiece”. To be in the business of historic homes is to appreciate a good garden when you see one. The finest plots bear the fruits of the efforts of former residents, recent and far removed – perhaps a row of precisely espaliered apple trees, an old wisteria wending its way across red bricks, or a cluster of bulbs that burst forth unexpectedly in spring. They say a sort of watchful patience is the sensible approach to a new garden, but who wants to wait out the seasons before plunging their hands into the loam? Ready for their next guardian, here are six homes with exceptional gardens on the market now.

This early Victorian home in Clapham’s Rectory Grove conservation area is picture-book pretty, but the real thrills lie beyond the threshold. Some will be wowed by the cinema room on the second floor, complete with rows of vintage seats; for others the garden is the great draw. South-west-facing and surrounded by high walls swathed in greenery, it’s filled with hydrangeas, ferns and apple trees (we’re told there are eight varieties, making for rich pickings come late summer and early autumn) and is home to a good-sized studio. The magic lies in the way it connects to the house, with wide bi-folding doors on two walls that blur the boundaries beautifully.

Remarkably, the formal parterre garden of this Georgian home remains much as it was some 300 years ago. Built in c1725, the six-bedroom Grade I-listed townhouse is one of 12 within Chatham’s historic dockyard, once the residence of officers with lofty titles like Master Shipwright and Clerk of the Cheque. By that time, the walled ‘town gardens’ were already well underway, with symmetrical flowerbeds and gravelled paths plotted with precision behind the grand rear elevation of each house. In this one, there’s now a garage, greenhouse and potting shed to boot, while the garden itself – since Grade II*-listed – has been restored to original plans preserved by the Greenwich Maritime Museum.

Provided you don’t mind a tombstone or two, this extraordinary 12

-century converted church has a garden of spectacular atmosphere. Located at the end of a lane with dense forest on all sides, the setting is about as secluded as it gets – and there’s a sense that the wild and well-tended coexist in harmony here, with old apple, quince, pear and plum trees skirting the edges of the wider woodland. A paved patio area has been squared off and a small herb garden started, but there’s still plenty of room to cultivate a more structured plot should the mood take you – and all without neighbouring eyes to monitor the process.

The 2.6 acres that surround this handsome Georgian home in deepest Sussex are in particularly safe hands – the current owners run a nursery from the grounds and have brought new life to its lawns and borders, paddock and vegetable patch. There’s something faintly Provençal about the rear of the house, with its blue shutters and sprawling wisteria,  though the carpet of bluebells that emerge in late spring are British through and through. Keen gardeners will clock the coveted brick-base greenhouse – pokey potting shed this is not – which sits within a walled section of garden beside productive beds and a cluster of fruit trees.

Wild ambitions are all well and good, but sometimes a garden benefits from a little discipline. Perhaps the rear landscaping at this Victorian home in the Merseyside suburb of St Helens has been planned with such a mantra in mind, though it stops just short of feeling manicured. Yes, there is a smart rectangle of lawn and neat sections of stone and larch decking, but there are also spikey palms, tall japonica and a particularly exuberant buddleia. Built-in planters, a carport, studio and a covered kitchen at the end of the garden, all constructed in aged Corten steel, bring welcome patina to the party. And did we mention the poured concrete bar?

The advent of a second Kentish listing on this index shouldn’t surprise you – this ancient, sun-blessed county is the Garden of England after all. With paddocks and ponds, wildflower-speckled woodlands, bounteously bordered lawns and a kitchen garden, this particular plot feels like a microcosm of the wider landscape (vast swathes of which are visible from the upstairs windows here, by the way). And, given that the best apples are always going to be those grown in your very own orchard – and Kent has the very best orchards in the UK – doesn’t it follow that those here (along with the quinces, pears, cherries and walnuts) might just be the best in the country? By the way: don’t forget to pack your racquet – there’s a tennis court here too.

The Plot Thickens: six homes with glorious gardens for sale

A garden is a source of great joy – and all the better if someone else has done the digging already. Here are some of the loveliest among our listings