Discovering the garden this summer

The Great Garden at Hanbury Hall

Make the most of those extra hours of sunshine this summer with a stroll around our beautiful gardens at Hanbury Hall. Our gardens are at their peak during the warmer months, with striking colours and scents to take in.

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.

The Great Garden at Hanbury Hall
The Great Garden at Hanbury Hall
The Great Garden at Hanbury Hall

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.

Trimming the box topiary in the Parterre
Trimming the box topiary in the Parterre
Trimming the box topiary in the Parterre

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.
  • 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.
Hanbury Wild Flowers
Hanbury Wild Flowers
Hanbury Wild Flowers

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.