Spring in Ightham Mote's Garden

Celebrate the arrival of spring in the garden. From snowdrops, crocus and the heady scent of Daphne, to the gradual awakening of daffodils, there are splashes of colour throughout.

Spring is a breath of fresh air. The days are becoming longer, the weather is getting warmer, and the garden is beginning to burst with new growth and colour.

As spring approaches you’ll see clusters of snowdrops, hellebores and the vibrant yellows and purples of crocuses around the garden, these flowers are an important early source of nectar for bees.

Look out for the Daphne near the shop, with its incredible fragrance and the delicate pink-purple flowers of Cyclamen and Cardamine. As each day passes, more plants awaken from their winter slumber bringing new shapes of fresh foliage, flower colour and interest.

Spring Daffodils at Ightham

The daffodils throughout the garden raise their shining trumpets proudly to herald the true arrival of spring and the mass of bright blooms underneath the apple trees in the orchard are a sight to behold.

See the gardens bursting with Daffodils and spring colour. Move over winter, spring has arrived!

Blossoms, blooms, big leaves and bountiful foliage

As spring progresses, the delicate cherry blossom bursts forth on the east terrace, followed by the apple blossom in the orchard and near the north lake. In the north pleasure grounds, the showier blooms of the Camellias and Rhododendrons take centre stage and the huge leaves of Gunnera by the lake, and the bright green, delicate fronds of ferns unfurl in the stumpery and the dell.

The cutting garden starts to come into its own, providing flowers for display in the house. Around stable courtyard the regal crown imperial fritillaries, then pompoms of Alliums stand on ceremony, whilst the Aubrieta cascades over the moat walls.

As spring moves toward summer, look out for the gloriously scented and thornless rose 'Zepherine Drouhin' in the house courtyard that frames the entrance to the outer hall.

A plentiful supply of water

Nestled within a hidden valley, a narrow stream runs through the grounds, supplying two lakes and the moat. It tumbles down two feature cascades on its journey through the garden. Other natural springs have been tapped to supply the four small, fountain pools and several open channels, which add to the atmosphere, charm, tranquillity and variety of the garden.

As you walk down the slope from the entrance and turn right towards the house, you arrive at the north lawn with its 18th-century cascade and terraced walks on either side. Originally the site of a lake, it was drained in the 18th century to create the lawn, which features in the painting 'A Game of Bowls' by John Singer Sargent, on display in the house.

Within our moat itself we see a variety of fish. Ightham Mote is not available to fish, except for limited, once a year event, usually on Father’s Day, check our Upcoming Events section.

The Enclosed Garden

Wander around the outside of the house, past the tower, to discover the Enclosed Garden, hidden behind ragstone walls. This secluded, paved garden, with its 'secret garden' behind the hedge, provides a charming place to spend some time.

Sunlight dances off the cherub fountain in the centre, while the soft colours and foliage of the planting scheme reflect the idea of the house’s American donor of what a traditional English garden should look like.

The stable courtyard

Coming out of the Enclosed Garden, the original garden and house entrance was from the driveway to your right. Imagine riding through the gates and dismounting your horse onto the mounting block to start your visit.

Today, as you walk into the stable courtyard, there are formal lawns and bright herbaceous borders. In the 17th century it was a working farm, as well as a forecourt to the house, with stables and farm buildings on three sides and a large oval carriage circle.

When the ‘new’ farmyard was built nearby in the 18th century, the remaining buildings were converted to workers' cottages and the courtyard became more ornamental with the layout of lawns and borders we see today.

The Formal Garden

The Formal Garden, with its saucer pond in the centre, and four symmetrical beds, has been an Italianate Garden and a rose garden in the past. Most recently it has formal bedding displays, changed twice each year, designed by a different member of the gardening team.

The Cutting Garden

Stepping through the high hedge, the cutting garden provides a fine display of flower and foliage shapes and colours throughout summer, used as cut flowers for the house. The scent from the Cutting Garden is especially good at the end of June and into July when the sweet peas and lavender are at their best.

The long herbaceous border

On the other side of the orchard wall, the west terrace walk boasts fine herbaceous borders, with rustic wood archways featuring climbing roses across the grass pathway. Its long season of interest is provided by a variety of bulbs in spring, and the display of flowers and foliage from July to September and often into October.

North Pleasure Grounds

With a meandering stream, ornamental lake, informal lawns and specimen trees, the Pleasure Grounds at the north end of the garden probably have their origins in the 18th century and were extended again in the 19th century. It's a lovely place to enjoy a gentle stroll, sit in the shade and have a picnic, take in the views or simply relax in a deckchair and listen to the sounds of birdsong and leaves rustling in the breeze.

The East Terrace

From the North Pleasure Grounds a sloping path and steps under a canopy of trees lead to the upper pathway running along a planted, sunny bank towards visitor reception. A lower path leads to the east grass terrace overlooking the north lawn, running along a bank with cherry trees underplanted with snowdrops, primroses and daffodils, creating a cheery display in spring followed by wild flowers in summer.

The South Lake

This area provides a wonderful view back to the house across the lake with its reflection in the water. The South Lake pleasure grounds may be of 18th-century origin and further developed in the 19th century, however it declined in the early 20th century.

The area has recently been opened regularly when conditions allow, and each year we do a little bit more conservation work toward restoring it as an attractive pleasure ground and haven for wildlife.

The orchard

There are more than 15 types of apples grown at Ightham Mote, most of which are heritage varieties, with a mixture of cider, culinary and dessert apples including the sweet Sunset, first discovered in nearby Ightham Village, and the Flower of Kent, the variety beneath which Isaac Newton came up with his theory of gravity.

There has traditionally been an orchard at Ightham Mote, but this one is relatively new, planted in 1989. Each year the apples are harvested and used in the menu in the café, and some are available for visitors to buy.