Things to do in the garden at The Vyne

swans and cygnets swim on the glassy surface of The Vyne's lake surrounded by leafy trees. — Recharge the batteries in the gardens at The Vyne. | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

There are nine hectares of garden surrounding the house at The Vyne. Two lakes, a walled garden, formal garden and meadow along with lawns and a herbaceous border sit neatly inside this area. There is plenty for you to explore through the seasons, from the 17th-century summerhouse to a 600-year-old oak tree. Until October, look out for three stunning book benches from much-loved public art trail 'Sitting with Jane'.

Autumn in the garden

Hundreds of brightly coloured dahlias, swelling orange pumpkins, and a fruit orchard ready for harvesting are just some of the delights to look out for in the garden this season.

Walled garden: this part of the garden with its elegant high brick walls is a rainbow of colour in autumn. The 30m dahlia border is a spectacular sight, packed with incredible colours and shapes. Particularly striking is red and yellow dahlia Pooh, known as a ‘collarette’ because it has a ‘collar’ of shorter petals in a contrasting colour at its centre. There are apricot pompons, candy pink cactus blooms, and rich red 'dinnerplates' the size of your hand, to mention just a few. If you time it right, you’ll find bunches of freshly cut dahlias for sale just outside the walled garden.
Orchard: nothing smells more autumnal than a fruit orchard. At The Vyne, heritage apples, pears, mulberries and plums are reaching their peak in the orchard just outside the walled garden. It’s a peaceful place to stroll and it’s full of butterflies and bees enjoying a late nectar source. The fruit is now being harvested with help from our volunteers, and you can purchase bags of fresh apples at our visitor kiosk. Fancy a juicy Beauty of Hampshire or Coeur de Boeuf?
Summerhouse garden: a palette of pinks and purples populate the central flowerbeds in the summer months, featuring Echinacea, Phlox and Clematis among others. Each bed forms a Grecian cross to reflect the floorplan of the 17th-century summerhouse.
Wild garden: marking the transition between garden and countryside, the wild garden is a haven for wildlife with its tall grasses.

Dahlias on sale at Visitor Reception

For a suggested donation, you can purchase a fresh bunch of dahlias grown in The Vyne's walled garden. Subject to availability.

Close up of red and white dahlias in flower border at The Vyne, Hampshire, with glasshouse in background — Dahlias in full bloom in The Vyne's walled garden, Hampshire | © National Trust/Dave Hughes

Support the gardens at The Vyne by purchasing a bunch of dahlias at Visitor Reception

The Vyne's gardens is need of vital funding to keep going, by purchasing a bunch of freshly cut dahlias grown in the walled garden you can help care for The Vyne's gardens for generations to come. Subject to availability.

Close up of apple tree covered in autumn fruit — The Vyne's orchard is full of heritage fruit varieties | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

Bumper harvest sees fresh produce on sale at Visitor Reception

As they become available, you can purchase fresh fruit and veg for a suggested donation at Visitor Reception. This fresh produce has been carefully grown and nurtured by a passionate team of staff and volunteers who work hard to ensure the future of this space for generations to come. All proceeds from produce sales go towards the upkeep of The Vyne's gardens.

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In The Vyne's gardens until October

'Sitting with Jane' bespoke book benches

A bench in the shape of a book and specially decorated by an artist. — Sitting with Jane at The Vyne | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

Find these three benches in The Vyne's gardens

To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, The Vyne has partnered with Destination Basingstoke to bring back several of the popular ‘Sitting with Jane’ book benches. These beautifully designed benches are now on display in the gardens until October, offering a unique blend of art, literature and heritage. Thank you to the private owners who have kindly loaned these benches for others to enjoy. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 ‘𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲’? A public art trail celebrating Jane Austen, featuring artist-designed benches shaped like open books. Each bench reflects a personal interpretation of her life and works.

A bench in the shape of a book and decorated by an artist. — Sitting with Jane at The Vyne | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

Find these three benches in The Vyne's gardens

A bench in the shape of a book decorated by an artist. — Sitting with Jane at The Vyne | © National Trust / Virginia Langer

Find these three benches in The Vyne's gardens

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The walled garden

Dating back to the 18th century, the walled garden houses a variety of fruit and vegetables as well as a dahlia border. An ambitious restoration programme restored the glasshouse and the fruit and vegetable beds to their former glory.

The summerhouse

Possibly the earliest domed garden building in England, the summerhouse dates from around 1635 and has been used as a banqueting house and a dovecote. Designed by John Webb and built in the shape of a Greek cross, it is one of two originally built.

Today, the remaining summerhouse is the focus of the formal garden with beds which reflect the shape of the structure itself. The bedding plants are chosen to complement the shades of the summerhouse during the seasons and the garden is enclosed by a yew hedge.

Herbaceous borders of the summerhouse garden at the Vyne, Hampshire — The summerhouse garden at the Vyne | © National Trust Images/John Miller

Hundred Guinea Oak

Frail but still standing, the Hundred Guinea Oak is now over 600 years old. William John Chute, who owned The Vyne in the late Georgian period, was offered £100 and later 100 guineas for the timber.

He flatly refused to sell the oak, which you can see for yourself at the top of the Lime Avenue.

Wild garden

Here, the informal layout gives the impression of a natural landscape that has emerged all by itself. Laden with seasonal colour, trees gently arc over the main path at intervals while the paths mown through the long grass bring you to the lakeside where you can spot waterfowl gliding across the lake.

Family activities in the garden

There are plenty of self-led trails around the estate for families to enjoy. Unfortunately ball games, frisbees, bikes, scooters and drones are not allowed on the estate. This is to prevent further damage to the house and grounds.

Close up detail of the 16th-century stained glass window in the Chapel at the Vyne, Hampshire

Discover more at The Vyne

Find out when The Vyne is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.

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Things to do in The Vyne house

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: With both floors of the house still open daily from 11am to 3pm (subject to volunteer availability), you can savour the sight of fascinating treasures before the annual autumn deep clean begins and the festive decorations go up. The Sandys and Chute families made The Vyne their home for over 500 years. They accumulated beautiful and important objects and made significant changes to the house during their lives, which you will see as you explore the opulent state rooms and humble servants’ quarters. Marking 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, you can enjoy exhibition 'Regency Revisited' and biweekly 'Jane Austen House Tours' for an additional £5 per person. On 26 September, we're hosting an Austen-inspired solo theatre performance. Read on for more information.