The garden at Kingston Lacy

Dahlias in the South Terrace border at Kingston Lacy in Dorset — September sees the dahlias bloom in the South Terrace border

Take a wander to the Kitchen Garden where the herbaceous borders and vegetable patches are full of life and colour at this time of year. There will be plenty of late summer splendour to take in along the way.

Seasonal highlights

Look out for beautiful bedding displays in the Sunk Garden and delightful Dahlias which will fill the South Terrace in front of the house.

The Kitchen Garden is not to be missed as the vegetable patches and herbaceous borders are full of life and colour. You can even grab some of our home grown produce to take home for dinner at the produce shop!

Lime avenue is a hive of activity as our bees collect pollen from the trees as they flower. Look out for the jars of Kingston Lacy honey in the Shop.

Visit the newly restored Parterre to see summer bedding schemes inspired by the White Bedroom in the house.

Dahlias filling the South Terrace borders at Kingston Lacy in Dorset — Dahlias filling the South Terrace borders at Kingston Lacy in late summer

Guided garden tours

From the 23 April to the end of October, we offer a programme of free guided garden tours. These tours are not purely horticultural based, but also cover the history of the gardens and stories of the family. Run by knowledgeable volunteers, these tours will search out the best that the seasons have to offer and bring the gardens, both past and present, to life.Tours take place on several days each week, please ask at reception for times when you visit.

Visitors enjoying a volunteer led guided tour of the garden at Kingston Lacy

Garden of the rising sun

Step foot in the far east as you explore this seven-acre Japanese garden which was created in the early 1900s. Follow Lady Walk and look out for bamboo plants, granite lanterns and an authentic Japanese tea house. Come in the spring for cherry tree blossom, or the autumn for flaming red Japanese maples.

Japanese garden at Kingston Lacy — Take in the tranquility of the Japanese Garden

An ancient treasure

This ancient 6.5m-high obelisk casts a shadow over Kingston Lacy’s south lawn, a monument the adventures of William Bankes, the ‘explorer’. Amazingly, the six tonne obelisk took 9 years to be shipped from Egypt to England, helped by the Duke of Wellington.

The Fernery

Why not explore the shaded fernery. Sheltered by yew trees, this early 1900s fernery is home to over 40 different types of fern, how many can you find?

Nursery Wood

Follow Lime Avenue and you’ll find the arboretum known as Nursery Wood. This area bursts into life during the spring and summer months, with a spectacular display of azalea, camellia, rhododendron and flowering cherry trees. Autumn is a great time to see peeling bark on the paperbark maples.

Kitchen Garden

Don’t miss the Kitchen Garden, which in its hey day was second only to Kew Gardens. Why not visit our a-maze-ing maize maze and see how long it takes you to find your way out or have a browse and see what’s growing this month. You can even pick up some fresh vegetables from our produce shop.

This part of the garden is currently undergoing an extensive four year restoration project. You can find out more at the link below.

The vision for the restoration of the Kitchen Garden at Kingston Lacy

Kingston Lacy Kitchen Garden appeal

We've begun the Kitchen Garden project to conserve and restore this important part of the garden that once had a royal reputation. We aim to complete the restoration over the next three years but we need your help to do it.