Things to do in the garden at Saltram

All wrapped up two visitors walk along Serpentine at Saltram at Christmas time — Enjoy a peaceful stroll around the garden at Saltram in the winter sunshine | © Steve Haywood

With beautiful views of its Palladian exterior, the garden and grounds at Saltram remain a peaceful space throughout the year. Filled with many impressive specimens of rare, ancient and exotic trees and plants, the garden is a horticultural delight. Bursts of colour adorn each area throughout the seasons and the heady scents along many paths fill the senses during a walk.

Fairy house trail

Monday, 6 January - Thursday, 13 February

Step into a world of magic and wonder at Saltram's garden this winter. Did you know that fairies call Saltram's garden home? If you listen carefully, you might hear the rustle of leaves or see the grass gently swaying – telltale signs that fairies are nearby, playing and exploring.

This January, our fairy friends are sharing a rare glimpse of their enchanting homes with visitors. True believers in magic are especially welcome!

Follow the trail to spot all 10 fairy houses hidden around the garden. Once you've completed your adventure, visit the bookshop to claim your magical sticker as a token of your journey.

But remember, fairies are shy and their magic is precious. Please don’t touch their homes – let the magic stay alive for everyone to enjoy.

Specimen trees at Saltram

The garden is home to some magnificent specimen trees. Several are older than the house and garden buildings and have been a part of Saltram throughout its history.

A famous tree

Did you know there’s a film-star tree in our garden? This over-400-year-old veteran English oak, located at the far end of the lime avenue, had its moment in the spotlight in the 1995 film Sense & Sensibility, where a treehouse was built within its branches just for the production. Today, it’s a treasured specimen, with snowdrops and crocuses carpeting the ground beneath it, bringing seasonal color and beauty year-round.

Saltram garden in winter

Even after all the leaves have fallen and the autumnal colours are a distant memory, there's plenty to enjoy in the garden during the winter.

Views in winter

With all the deciduous trees and shrubs bare and the herbaceous plants dormant underground, there's a greater sense of space.

This reveals more expansive views from within the garden and out to the surrounding parkland. The view reaches out to the River Plym and the city of Plymouth beyond.

Appreciate the garden's design

During the winter, the design and structure of the garden are easier to appreciate. The layout has evolved over the garden’s 250 year history and seeing it as it is today can also inspire any plans you may be hatching for your own garden at home.

Huge specimen trees at Saltram

Winter is an opportunity to appreciate the trees’ many sizes and shapes. Once spring arrives and the leaves appear again it is often difficult to see up into the canopy to truly get a sense of their immense size.

Snowdrops at Saltram

By the New Year, the new season kicks off with carpets of snowdrops and fine displays of hellebores. There are also several winter flowering shrubs.

Many of these are heavily scented such as daphne, Christmas box, winter-flowering honeysuckle and mahonia along with many camellias that really brighten up the garden during the darker months.

A garden for all seasons

Finally, for those explorers looking for a bit of magic, winter is when the fairies usually return to the garden. They come with a number of lovingly built fairy houses dotted throughout the garden, which as just waiting to be discovered.

Orange grove in the garden Saltram Devon — Orange Grove in the garden at Saltram | © National Trust Images Paul Harris

Saltram's Lime Avenue

Saltram is home to the Lime Avenue, a quarter-of-a-mile-long lime avenue, which is well worth taking your time to amble down and appreciate. It's believed to be the longest of its type in Europe.

Changes over time

When viewed from either end, you can see that the whole avenue is noticeably leaning to the north, having grown up being exposed to the prevailing south-westerly winds.

As well as being a striking linear feature of the garden, the avenue also helps to absorb all that wind, thereby protecting the many tender and exotic plants in the heart of the garden.

The Orange Grove

The Orange Grove was originally designed as somewhere for the citrus trees to thrive during the summer months and these Mediterranean plants can still be found here today.

There are lemons, limes, grapefruits, manadarins as well as Seville oranges and blood oranges in the planters in the grove and outside the orangery.

Sheltered from the wind, with full sun all day and a pond at the centre preventing the grove from getting too warm, this is the perfect spot for citrus trees.

Saltram boasts relatively mild and dry winters, thanks to its coastal location, and rarely gets frost or snow. This, combined with the Orange Grove’s special design, produces a microclimate that means the grove’s surrounding beds are home to interesting and exotic plants.

Running with the ‘orange’ theme, head gardener Martin planted fiery-coloured plants around the grove.

Trees around the grove

An impressive black walnut and eastern hemlock grow to the south, with the former supporting a huge vine. All of these protect the Orange Grove from the wind.

A coast redwood tree and stately old yew grow behind the chapel and rhododendrons and mature Chinese windmill palms add to the tropical backdrop.

Silent Space

At Saltram we are pleased to offer visitors a 'Silent Space' in the Orange Grove. We lead hectic lives. It can be difficult, particularly for those of us who live in urban areas, to find five minutes peace in natutre. In 2016, garden writer Liz Ware set up a not-for-profit project and called it Silent Space. Visitors to these quiet areas are invited to switch off from technology and to take time to reflect and relax surrounded by green space. The Orange Grove at Saltram is one such space, along with several other National Trust properties across the country. It's the perfect spot to unwind, listen to the running water and connect with nature and with yourself. The Orange Grove is a Silent Space every morning 10-11am.

Garden tours

Join one of Saltram’s expert gardeners for a guided walk through the ever-changing gardens. Learn how the gardens are cared for, get a glimpse of what's blooming in the coming months, and pick up some useful gardening tips to try at home.

Tours are free and take place at 11am every other Wednesday, starting at the Stables Bed (near the entrance to the Stables in the Garden). Explore the hundreds of plant species that thrive in different seasons throughout the year.

Garden tours will resume in spring 2025.