The Winter Garden at Dunham Massey

Snowdrops in the Garden at Dunham Massey — Pure white snowdrops coat the ground

At 7 acres, Dunham’s Winter Garden is the largest of its kind in the UK. Designed with the help of plantsman Roy Lancaster OBE, the garden is home to over 1600 winter shrubs, trees and evergreens chosen for their scent, colour and texture.

Work began to create the Winter Garden in 2007. Before this the area had become an impenetrable thicket with brambles and weeds in danger of taking over. New paths were laid and some trees and shrubs cleared. Such an ambitious garden project needed a few years to establish, so the Winter Garden officially opened in November 2009.

A family in the garden at Dunham Massey — Catch a falling leaf in the garden

Since that time the Winter Garden has flourished. Cathedral-like Beech and Oak trees maintain the historic woodland feel, while the plants located underneath provide interest throughout the winter.

Thousands of bulbs spring to life over the cold season, including Snowdrops, Irises, and Cyclamen which thrive in the dry conditions beneath the Beech trees. The Birch Triangle is surrounded by Snowdrops and white Cyclamen.

Wildlife continue to be attracted to the garden well into the depths of winter, with snowdrops providing the early forage for bees, and woodpeckers burrowing into tree trunks looking for food.