Shades of autumn in the gardens at Calke Abbey

Home-grown produce in the gardens at National Trust Calke Abbey in Derbyshire

There’s plenty to enjoy in Calke’s gardens at this warm and colourful time of year. Make the most of the remaining summer colours in the Flower Garden and look out for bursts of vibrant orange in the pumpkin display.

An apple a day


The Orchard is an autumn highlight and now is the perfect time to take a stroll through the trees to see local and historic varieties of apples in full fruit.

Learn all there is to know about this versatile fruit at our popular event on Apple Day (Sun 7 Oct) where you can taste, peel and juice our many varieties of home-grown apple – a fun day for the whole family.  

A healthy harvest from Calke's orchard
Calke Abbey, Midlands, apple day
A healthy harvest from Calke's orchard


Autumn colour


Among the last bursts of summer colour, you’ll start to see the rich shades of autumn taking over the garden this season.

Look out for a mix of edible pumpkins, squashes and marrows, with lots of hard-skinned ornamental gourds. There's a beautiful autumnal display on the auricula theatre in the Flower Garden which makes for a great photograph.

Home-grown pumpkins and gourds displayed on the theatre
Calke Abbey, Midlands, autumn pumpkins gourds auricular theatre
Home-grown pumpkins and gourds displayed on the theatre

Delightful dahlias

Don’t miss the dahlia border which has been replanted over the summer and promises a medley of colour for the autumn.

The annual flower borders look stunning when in flower, usually lasting until the first frost. Due to this summer's hot weather, they might not last as long this year, but our gardening team are working hard to keep everything looking its best!