News
Oxburgh's Parterre Restoration
- Published:
- 08 July 2025
This summer, work is due to resume to revamp and restore the historic Parterre Garden at Oxburgh Estate.
The Parterre, known by the Bedingfeld family as the French Garden, was created in 1848 following a family trip to Europe. Parterres were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the family’s decision to install this element in the garden is testament to their romantic approach to restoring Oxburgh.
What's happening to Oxburgh's Parterre?
Every thirty or forty years since its creation, the Parterre has required a major refresh and replanting to keep it looking its best. The Parterre was last completely refurbished in 1972, with smaller refreshes occurring since then.
With the added effects of climate change and the damaging effects of disease on the Parterre’s hedging, the time has come to carry out another major restoration of this wonderful garden feature.
What will the work involve?
With our light sandy soil the Parterre has suffered movement and shifting of the beds and a loss of detail in the design. We will undertake improvements to the infrastructure of the pathways and their edges to preserve the design. At the same time we will amend the planting scheme to species that are much more resilient to drought and to warmer temperatures.
Restoration for future generations
For many years, the team at Oxburgh have planted the Parterre annually with over 6,500 bedding plants which after being purchased and transported from Europe, bloom for a few months before dying. We’re on a mission to make the Parterre more sustainable but just as beautiful, whilst working towards our charity’s sustainability and climate change goals.
One of the ways we aim to do this is to limit the amount of soil disturbance by using perennial plants instead of annuals. Not only will perennials give us a wonderful year-round display, but by minimising how much we dig and weed the gardens, they will help prevent more carbon being released into the atmosphere.
Our hope is that the work will be completed by spring 2026. We'll keep you updated on the progress and the garden team will be happy to chat to you if you'd like to know more during your visit.