Buckland Abbey's gardens

A bed of yellow, red and purple tulips against a stone wall, leading to a glasshouse in the background. — A colourful spring display in the Kitchen Garden at Buckland Abbey | © Barry Mitchell

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 planted by the garden team this year. 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.

Spring highlights in the garden

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Buckland's gardens, with glorious displays of magnolia and camellia, as well as carpets of spring flowers. In the early spring, look out for unusual varieties of snowdrops around the grounds and on the estate, and later come carpets of crocus in the Cider House Garden, and stunning blossom trees to admire in the Upper Walled Garden.