Highlights of the winter garden at Hardwick

Winter in the gardens at Hardwick with hall in the background — The winter sunshine helps bring out the season's rich colours in the gardens

A garden statue at Hardwick basking in the winter sun

Low winter sun and misty mornings give the gardens at winter a new atmosphere. Discover some of the highlights of the winter garden at Hardwick.

Winter colour

Our Winter Border offers welcome colour in the winter months. Interest can be found in unexpected places such as stems, bark, berries and of course early bulbs. Vibrant flowers such as Narcissus, Winter Aconite and Winter Flowering Honeysuckle add an extra sensory experience in the winter at Hardwick.

Snowdrops and Stumpery

Our Stumpery really comes to life in the winter months. Snowdrops shower the ground, along with Irises, Fritillaries and Ferns with this quiet corner in the garden providing a welcome respite from the festive rush. Catch our snowdrops across the gardens and estate from December.

Clusters of snowdrops in the gardens at Hardwick, Derbyshire — Clusters of snowdrops can be found beneath the yews in the gardens at Hardwick

The herb garden

While most plants lie dormant, some plants in the herb garden take on a beautiful wintry look during the colder months. See the spiky teasel standing proud or the sage covered in frost.

Hardwick Derbyshire

A wintry atmosphere in the fog

In the winter months, low level fog gives the Hall and the statues a new atmosphere that has to be seen to be believed. There's nothing quite like a meander amongst the gardens seeing a shadow of the Hall through the white mist.

Head gardeners tips for Winter

Winter in the garden is the perfect time for gardeners of all types to plan. What do you want your garden to look like in Summer? Think about how you imagine your garden to look and start planning and preparing for it now, it’s not too late to buy Spring bulbs now.

Don’t disregard Winter, you don’t have to have flat soil with no planting. While some garden clean- up is necessary leaving some hardy plants in the garden can be a good thing. Some of our taller perennials and herbs look spectacular in a winter frost and they can be a lifeline to wildlife.

As with our gardens clearing leaves from lawns can be an important winter task as leaves can turn the grass yellow if left too long. Winter can be a good time to prepare your lawn for the year to come, scarifying your lawn along with overseeding and re-turfing are all winter tasks where you will be able to see the results in the coming year.

From December gardeners can also begin pruning of fruit trees, climbers and roses.