Gardens
Enjoy the spectacular colours and delicate fragrances of some of Britain's finest gardens - from pretty cottage plots to colourful seaside displays and grand country estates.
Specialist Gardens
True plant enthusiasts should start at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, a 40 acre oasis of plants, including tropical glasshouses and nine national collections. More rare and unusual plants await visitors at Myddelton House Gardens, collected by expert botanist Edward Augustus Bowles. Great gardeners of the region include Alan Bloom who pioneered his island beds for hardy perennials at Bressingham - where you can see his celebrated Dell Garden. His son Adrian created the equally impressive Foggy Bottom with its all-season colour. Planting in challenging dry and damp soil in both sun and shade were pioneered by Beth Chatto at her famous garden. Wander through leafy landscapes, grasses and euphorbias.
Dedicated to the ‘Queen of Flowers' - The Gardens of the Rose has over 8,000 roses on display, complemented by a rich variety of companion plants. More roses at the impressive RHS Hyde Hall Garden, which is set on a windswept hill with ornamental ponds and flowering shrubs. Whilst at East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden, the owners have created a microclimate miracle, featuring sumptuous herbaceous borders, a sunken garden and tropical house. Experience nine centuries of gardening history at Stockwood Discovery Centre, including a sculpture garden featuring the works of Ian Hamilton Finlay. More impressive sculptures at The Gibberd Garden, where around 80 examples are set amongst glades, groves and pools. Smell the rich fragrance of English lavender wafting across the purple fields of West Norfolk, then take a tour of the Lavender Farm and enjoy the perfumed gardens.
Check out our full listing of gardens to visit.
Garden Events
Throughout the year, the East of England has a wonderful selection of garden-related events - from a tour with the head gardener at our stately homes, to traditional country shows and fetes with their gardening competitions. Enjoy the spectacular displays at flower festivals, or be a real ‘nosey parker' and explore the secret gardens of our picturesque villages at numerous open days - such as Woburn, Aldham and Chelsworth
Look out also for the National Gardens Scheme which raises money for many deserving causes by the opening of private gardens throughout the region. Invitation to View is another scheme which allows you to enjoy private tours (normally with the owner) of historic houses and gardens not normally open to the public.
Check out our listing of garden events
Nature's Gardens
A haven for wildlife - Pensthorpe has a dazzling Millennium Garden of perennials and grasses, designed by plantsman Piet Oudolf. Spring is a good time to visit Fairhaven Water and Woodland Garden to see the UK's best naturalised collection of candelabra primulas. The Victorians adorned trees, and collected many species from abroad - leading to the development of the arboretum. Marks Hall has over 100 acres of specimen trees, with way-marked footpaths to explore. Laid out by 18th C. landscape architect Humphry Repton, there are fabulous coastal views, rhododendrons and azaleas at Sheringham Park Water and wildlife are the themes for Gooderstone Water Gardens, where 13 bridges span ponds and waterways.
True plant enthusiasts will love the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, a 40 acre oasis of plants, including tropical glasshouses and nine national collections.
Calendar of the Seasons
Start the year with spectacular displays of snowdrops in the region. In spring, our civic parks and gardens are noted for their masses of daffodils, whilst ancient woods are carpeted with bluebells. During the summer, the countryside becomes a patchwork quilt of colours - from the vibrant yellows of the oilseed rape, the field mustard and the sunflowers, to the blues and purples of flax and lavender. Bright red poppies set the fields ablaze - with a part of North Norfolk once known as ‘Poppyland'. Heathland comes alive with colourful heather and gorse, whilst our saltmarshes are covered with the purple of sea lavender. Autumn brings wonderful walks amongst the vibrant rustics and gold's of our ancient forests and woodlands.
Historic Gardens
Start your journey through the centuries in the walled garden at Cressing Temple - beautifully recreated from medieval and Tudor times. Wonderful 17th C. gardens have been exquisitely restored at Hatfield House, including the knot garden in front of The Old Palace - the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I. Helmingham Hall has splendid Grade I listed examples, including the breath-taking Elizabethan kitchen garden. Rose lovers should not miss Mannington Hall, home to thousands of classic varieties from the 15th C. to the present day. The great formal gardens of the 17th C. were modelled on extravagant Dutch and French designs - the inspiration for Wrest Park with its canals, sculpture and follies. At Jacobean Blickling Hall, enjoy spring bulbs, vibrant summer borders and rich autumn colours.
In the 18th C. formal beds and parterres were swept away in favour of wide open landscapes, with noted gardener Lancelot ‘Capability' Brown as one of the key proponents. His designs can be seen at Ickworth House and Audley End The latter also has an impressive kitchen garden, as has Felbrigg Hall - where fruit and vegetables were produced for the household. The Swiss Garden is a fine example of how ornamental gardening and picturesque architecture were combined in the 19th C.
The Victorians favoured flowers again - with bedding plants raised for public spaces, such as today's Colchester's Castle Park, The Embankment in Bedford and the award-winning Abbey Gardens in Bury St. Edmunds. Seafront gardens also became a popular place to stroll, with noted examples at Clacton, Felixstowe and Southend. Other outstanding Victorian gardens, include the summerhouses and roses at Peckover House and Somerleyton Hall, renowned for its yew hedge maze. At Royal Sandringham you can see the current Queen's favourite blooms.
On a smaller scale, the Edwardian Benington Lordship Garden has gorgeous mixed borders and water gardens. The plot at Knebworth House have evolved since the days of Queen Elizabeth I - and the herb garden was a project of Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most influential 20th C. gardeners. More royal connections at the Gardens of Easton Lodge, where a frequent visitor was the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. The gardens here are being lovingly restored. Anglesey Abbey is noted for its snowdrops, plus summer borders and dahlias. It has become one of Britain's most beautiful 20th C. gardens.
