Spring highlights in the garden

To help fight the spread of the coronavirus, Sizergh's garden is now closed. Please check back on our website where we'll keep you updated with our plans to reopen. You may not be able to experience the spring blossom in person or from your window, but take a moment to close your eyes and imagine the sights and smells of a spring garden around you. We've put together some Sizergh spring favourites below to inspire you.

sizergh daffs
Sizergh   Cumbria

Daffodils in the Stumpery

The stumpery will now be bright with sunny daffodils, sitting cosily amongst our national collection of ferns, and a variety of woodland flowers. Stumperies originate from the late Victorian era when they were seen as a fashionable way to display and grow ferns. Instead of getting rid of old tree stumps, they could be re-used and arranged artistically to show the roots of trees, and encourage ferns, lichen and moss to grow on and around them.

Cherry blossom in the gardens of Sizergh, Cumbria
Sizergh   Cumbria

Cherry Blossom

Delicate blossom graces the Cherry trees by the stumpery - a beautiful, fleeting spring moment. Did you know that an abundance of wildlife thrives on blossom? Bees seek pollen from wild cherry and apple blossoms. Song thrushes and blackbirds eat the fruit produced by the trees and hunt for insects among the blossom. And badgers, mice, voles and foxes eat the fruit that falls to the ground.

sizergh ferns
Sizergh   Cumbria

Ferns in the rock garden

The ferns will be awakening from their winter slumber in the rock garden, appearing as these curled other-worldly forms. Swathes of them will be sprouting from the ground, and preparing to open in summer splendour. The rock garden was created in the early 20th century and originally planted with alpines. In the late 20th century, we restored the garden and replaced the alpines with ferns, creating another home for our expansive National Collection of Ferns. Our National Collection continues, throughout the garden, in the stumpery and in the orchard.

Bumblebee feeding on chives
Sizergh   Cumbria

Kitchen garden produce

Our productive kitchen garden begins another year of growth. Fresh herbs, leafy greens and rhubarb are all grown organically on-site. This fresh produce will be harvested and used in our café when we re-open, but for now, an abundance of flowering chives can provide welcome nectar for bumblebees.

Pink double hellebores in spring garden at Charlecote
Sizergh   Cumbria

Hellebores

Hellebores will be blooming in shades of pink, green and white. Many are evergreen and some varieties have interesting mottled or silver-like leaves. They're also of great interest to early pollinating insects!