Buckland Abbey's gardens

Two gardeners decorate a arbour around the entrance door of the Abbey with green foliage and holly berries — A warm welcome this Christmas at Buckland Abbey | © Steve Haywood

From beautiful blooms to bountiful harvests, the gardens at Buckland Abbey are full of colour and seasonal interest. Soak up the history of this special place as you admire the planting, or simply enjoy the peace and tranquillity as you sit a while on one of the benches.

A garden for all seasons

Whatever the time of year, the gardens at Buckland Abbey are a treat for the senses. From delicate wildflowers to bold displays of tulips, beautiful borders to wild spaces, each area of the garden has something exciting to offer.

The Abbey Garden features sweeping lawns and established borders, leading to the Elizabethan Garden on the north side of the building, where over 100 new single and semi-double flowered rose plants were recently planted by the garden team. From here, you'll also see the original medieval stonework of the walls - a reminder of the earlier Abbey complex.

The Kitchen Garden is still used to grow vegetables and fruit, with heritage apple trees and fragrant herbs in abundance, and a wonderful display of squashes in the autumn.

A little further on, you'll find the Cider House Garden, with its herbaceous borders and pretty spring flower meadow. Don't miss the 'Wild Garden' at the far end: a peaceful spot to rest and enjoy the views.

Winter in Buckland's garden

Growth in the gardens slows down over the winter months, but it’s a chance to appreciate the structure of the formal gardens and the neatly clipped parterres.

There are bright red rose hips in the Elizabethan Garden as well as architectural seed heads left for wildlife. Then, early in the new year come the snowdrops, of which there are many named varieties throughout the Gardens.

Head Gardener Sam says “Although the garden goes into a restful dormancy in Winter, it’s still a hugely busy time for the gardeners. We have a lot of pruning and training of all the fruit trees, wisteria and roses, and then there is barrowing tonnes of lovely home-made compost onto the beds and borders. Bright, cold days can also be a great time for a stroll around the gardens to see the seed heads and stems of the last years herbaceous flowers glistening in the frost. We leave them for their value as wildlife habitat as well as ornamental shape and structure. Also, the trained fruit and roses can be an artform in themselves and during the winter months when they have shed their leaves is the best time to appreciate these shapes. In the warmth of the Abbey you can then enjoy the dried flower displays harvested the previous season and artfully arranged for Christmas by our dedicated cut flower team.”