Explore the gardens at Quarry Bank

The gardens in autumn

The gardens are beginning the transformation from summer blooms to rich autumn colour. Leaves are starting to fall and the squirrels are busy filling their stores.

Autumn’s a great time to wrap up warm and explore everything nature has to offer. The trees turn red, gold and orange, colourful fungi grows in the most curious of places and you can spot animals such as squirrels and birds getting ready for the winter.

Look out for these autumn highlights

• For vibrant pops of autumn colour look for the young Judas tree next to Quarry Bank House, the Nyssa sylvatica and Acer near Fernybrow. On the tennis lawn you will see the bronze orange leaves of the Amalanchier and glossy leaves of the Persian ironwood as it's leaves transform from purple to brilliant red with deep crimson flowers.

• The apple trees in the Apprentice House Orchard and Walled Garden will be laden with fruit and laden with fruit and ripe for picking. For a donation you can take a bushel of apples home with you, ideal for an apple crumble.

• In the walled garden you will find Daliah's, hesperantha, Cyclamen coums and the vivid red stems of Cornus otherwise known as Dogwood.

• Alongside the river walk in the lower gardens the Parterre with lilac and purple shades of Oenothera, Verbena and Achillea.

The industrial picturesque movement

The valley garden at Quarry Bank is a rare example of the industrial picturesque movement, where elements of nature such as the caves and cliffs feature alongside the industrial mill backdrop to create a sense of drama.

Lower garden

Wander through the mill meadow, cross over the garden bridges and follow the bubbling River Bollin as it flows past the Ornamental Ladies Garden created by mill owner Robert Hyde Greg in the 1860s.