The garden at Quebec House

Links to the 18th century

There's little information about the garden when the young James Wolfe lived at Quebec House with his family. Instead, the garden team have been using typical Georgian planting schemes as a reference point. For example, pleached limes have been planted and you'll also find a rose border with similar blooms to those found during the 1700s. Look out for the the ‘Bee Boles’ built into the external walls of the Coach House which were once used for honey production.

Herb garden 

The herb border runs alongside the Coach House and is planted with all sorts of different herbs, from lavender to lungwort, to reflect the style and vegetation of an 18th-century garden. Look out for the signs to help you identify the different plants. Read all about the history of the different varieties and how some of them would have been used medicinally as well as in cooking. 

Early spring 

Visit in early spring as the garden begins to re-awaken, with an array of colours bringing new life to Quebec House. Spring and early summer sees plenty of bulbs around the garden. Tulips are in abundance in front of the house entrance. Other colourful blooms popping up include daffodils, seasonal primrose and dainty barrenwort. 

The tulips planted in the borders outside the front of the house are a spectacle of red flowers. Don’t forget to look out for the blossom on the apple trees on the lawn at the back of the house as they come into season too. 

Late spring 

As the months pass through spring, the garden changes rapidly with reds, blues and yellows all scattered around the outside of the house. Alliums begin to emerge, as well as the very elegant Aquilegia, otherwise known as ‘Granny's Bonnet’. 

Out the front of the house, see if you can spot the wisteria winding its way up the bricks and around the windows of the house, you can't help but notice the wild garlic plants with their distinctive smell.