Hanbury's Garden in Summer

The Great Garden

The Great Garden is made up of our Parterre and Formal Fruit and Vegetable Gardens. Planning inspiration for this restored garden was taken from lists used by royal gardener Henry Wise, who ran the celebrated Brompton Nursery alongside fellow royal gardener, George London.

Around the Great Garden you will discover a collection of citrus and exotic plants on display, including pomegranates, oleander, punica and agaves in pots dotted around the upper level of the Parterre and the Formal Fruit Garden. Hedge-lined borders also contain glorious plants in full bloom, with two types of Amaranthus, while the Vegetable Garden showcases a range of seasonal edibles.

The Parterre

The gardening team dedicates many hours of work to keep the Parterre looking weed-free and flowering. In the summer you will see vibrant colours and experience an air filled with glorious scents.

Hundreds of bulbs and bedding plants are planted each year with the goal of providing bright colours and, during the summer, you’ll find the likes of Sweet Williams, Calendulas, Carnations, French Marigolds, African Marigolds, Alyssum and Snapdragons working their magic.

Throughout the summer our gardeners are kept busy pruning the topiary and box hedging in the formal gardens. Grown from Buxus sempervirens, they need to be pruned back into shape twice a year, usually in June and then again in September. The sharp lines of the freshly-clipped hedges really set off the bursts of colour within them and make the Parterre a must-see experience for visitors.

Walled Garden

Enjoy a little seclusion among the flowers, fruits and vegetables of the peaceful Walled Garden. The Vernon family would have used the seasonal produce grown here to supply their kitchen and we continue this tradition by using the fruits and vegetables in our tearooms.

Spread over one and a half acres, our productive Walled Garden is certified organic by the Soil Association. The summer months are some of the most productive here with a bountiful harvest of cucumbers, tomatoes, French beans and potatoes as well as soft fruits including blackberries and gooseberries. Top of our gardeners’ list in summer is to harvest this produce for use in our tearooms and for sale at the produce stall in the garden for you to enjoy at home.

Our Walled Garden has also been home to our chickens since 2010. We currently have Bantams, Pekin and Dutch Gold as well as White Leghorn chickens and four Cheshire Blues.  We usually feed our chickens between 1.30-2pm each day, so stop by and say hello.

You’ll also find our bee hives in the garden too which are looked after and cared for by our volunteer beekeepers, Tim and Lucy.

Orangery Lawn

Wander across the lawn and marvel at the display of citrus, pomegranate, oleander and agave standing in formal style in front of the impressive Orangery building. You can stroll between the Versailles cases and pots to enjoy the plants or take a break and enjoy the sunshine on one of the benches, or simply relax on the lawn itself.

Summer Highlights

There’s so much to see in our gardens this summer, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites:

• You can’t miss the beautiful display of wild flowers surrounding the Hall in our parkland. They attract an abundance of wildlife throughout the summer months, including bees and butterflies.
• Apples are already starting to appear on the trees in the formal fruit garden and orchard. These will be picked in mid-late September, ready for our Apple Weekend in early October.
• Challenge your friends to a game of bowls on Hanbury’s very own Bowling Green (open May-October)
• And don’t forget to look out for our friendly ducklings, they’re growing up fast but they’re still happy to meet our visitors.

Every visit you make to Hanbury help us protect and conserve our beautiful gardens and parkland.

Find out more...

Most days you’ll find our gardening team at work, whatever the weather. They’ll be happy to tell you more about the gardens and share a few of their tips, or you can just take a seat and enjoy the results of all their hard work.

Garden Tours

Look out for guided walks with our knowledgeable garden volunteers, where you will learn more about the history of the garden and estate, the plants that make the garden so unique, as well as gardening hints and tips.

All of our garden tours are run by our volunteer team and as such may not be available every day. Please check at Visitor Reception when you arrive, for availability or find one of our blackboards around the garden.