The gardens at East Riddlesden Hall

Summer in the garden 

The gardens at East Riddlesden Hall are ever changing – but summer is one of the best times to enjoy them at their very best. Green lawns are surrounded by colourful borders and the smell of sweetly-scented roses fills the air. Pull up a picnic blanket or relax in a deck chair with a good book and enjoy this peaceful space. There’s lots of open green spaces for the kids to charge about too, and plenty of hidden corners to explore.  

The formal gardens 

Herbacious borders surround the green lawns, which are lovingly tended to by our volunteer gardeners. The garden walls are covered in climbing plants and ivy and the borders are filled with a variety of plants and flowers which burst into bloom throughout the year.  During summer, the garden is filled with vibrant colours and the scent of roses fills the air. Pull up a deck chair or relax on the lawn and enjoy the sound of birdsong filling the air.  

The wild garden  

The wild garden provides the perfect contrast to the main garden. Here you’ll find a variety of wildflowers, taking their turn to take centre stage. This peaceful, wild spot is a favourite place for our garden wildlife. Bugs can be found crawling through the grass, butterflies flutter between the flowers and birds can be heard singing loudly in the treetops. This shady spot is the perfect place to relax on hot summer days.  

Family fun in the garden  

There’s lots for families to enjoy in the gardens, from peaceful picnic spots to open spaces where the kids can charge about in the sunshine. If you follow the path through the wild garden, you’ll also find the secret Discovery Garden. Here, little ones can enjoy getting messy in the mud pie kitchen, making a home in the hobbit house or building dens amongst the trees. 

The herb border   

Wander down by the side of the house and you’ll be greeted by our herb border. Here you’ll find a variety of herbs, all of which can be found in Culpeper’s Herbal. Listen to the buzzing of bees and watch the butterflies darting about this colourful space. Taste, touch and smell the different herbs growing in the borders and see if you can work out what they would be used for. 

Gardening for wildlife  

Where possible, our gardeners work in a way which helps wildlife to thrive in this peaceful, green space. As you wander around the gardens you’ll notice we’ve created several homes for our little residents to hide away in. Look out for the Toad Abode, next to the pond in the gardens and see what wildlife you can see within the waters.  

Creating compost 

At the back of the formal gardens you’ll find one of the most important parts of the garden – the compost area. Here is where we make all of the compost used in the gardens, from our own garden waste collected throughout the year. This is just one of the ways we’re taking a greener approach to our gardening.