Winter gardens at Hanbury

Formal garden in snow, showing the topiaries covered for winter

The changing weather brings a different view of the gardens at Hanbury Hall. With the last of the flowering plants gone, the evergreen shrubs, trees and hedges come to the fore in a beautiful display.

Enjoy the crisp, clean air whilst you enjoy the Garden in the ever-changing winter light. It is the perfect time of year to appreciate the geometric designs of the formal gardens and display the stark symmetry of the Parterre in all its glory.

The Parterre garden with a dusting of snow
The Parterre Garden at Hanbury Hall with winter sun and snow
The Parterre garden with a dusting of snow

Conservation in Action

Winter sees much of the conservation work taking place in the gardens at Hanbury. Look out for coddled topiaries in the formal fruit garden, all wrapped up for the harsh weather. The wooden garden furniture, including the traditional Versailles cases, is repaired and given a fresh coat of paint, ready for the new season.
Hedge pruning is another task and one that sometimes requires parts of the garden to be temporary closed for safety. The laurel hedges by the Orangery are entirely pruned by hand, to maintain the nice, clean lines.

Towards the start of spring you will see the first flowers of the year in the parterre and other areas of the garden. You will find snowdrops starting to pop up down in Cedar Walk alongside some primroses on the walk down to our Walled garden. This time of the year is the start of the spectacular show of colour and scents in the parterre’s ribbon border that will go on throughout March and April.

The first signs of spring at Hanbury
The first signs of spring at Hanbury
The first signs of spring at Hanbury

What are the garden team up to?

Leaf raking, leaf raking and more leaf raking!
All of the leaf mulch is used the following year and only comes from the previous year’s hard work collecting them so it is one of the most important jobs of the winter months.

Sorting seeds, sharpening tools and tidying the workshops.
The garden team will brave most weather conditions but the winter is a good time to complete some of the indoor jobs that need to be done.

First seed sowing.
Onion seeds are sown first in the Hanbury garden, ready to harvest in mid-August. About half the crop will get served up in the tearooms and the rest sold on the produce stall

Entrance to the frozen Parterre at Hanbury Hall
Entrance to the frozen Parterre
Entrance to the frozen Parterre at Hanbury Hall

The park and wider estate

Out in the parkland, work continues to restore the original George London designs.

Started seven years ago, the team at Hanbury are slowly recreating some of the historic avenues seen in the original plans and maps of the park.

The first trees are now starting to make a statement in the landscape and more trees are being planted in the Park every year.  The tree guards are made from timber from the NT Dudmaston Estate.

Work like this is extremely rare. Hanbury is only one of three gardens restored to its early eighteenth century designs and the work on the parkland may be unique.