Discover the garden at Ormesby Hall

Aerial photo of the garden in autumn sunshine — Explore the autumn colours throughout the gardens at Ormesby | © National Trust/Andrew Davies

Explore the garden at Ormesby Hall, to discover a green oasis in the heart of industrial Middlesbrough. Enjoy the seasonal delights of this colourful Victorian formal garden and embrace the family fun on the woodland walk and natural play area.

Ormesby Hall garden in autumn

The garden at Ormesby is still full of colour throughout autumn. Amaranthus, Dahlias, Calendula and the annual seed mixes in the borders provide late season colour right up to the first frosts. The Copper Beech shows off its wonderful mix of leaf shades as it changes colour through the season in anticipation of dropping its leaves in November.

The deep red of the smoke bush (Cotinus) stands out among the changing autumn colours, the bench under the smoke bush is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the changing season.

Autumn is a great time to explore the woods at Ormesby, bright red berries on the hawthorn and holly trees, acorns appear on the oaks and shining conkers are appearing from their spiky cases on the chestnut trees, and lots of interesting fungi can be found around the gardens and woodland.

Family enjoying Ormesby Hall garden in autumn | © National Trust

Nature & Wildlife in autumn

The wonderful Jay is elusive for much of the year however in autumn, when it is collecting and hiding its stash of acorns, it becomes more conspicuous. We are lucky at Ormesby that we can get some splendid views of them around the garden and grounds.

Autumn is also an important time to remind people of the plight of our hedgehogs. It is important for people to feed hedgehogs at this time of year to get them up to the correct weight for hibernation or they will not make it through the winter. Also, it is the perfect time to build a hedgehog box (some great simple/cheap options online) to put in your garden at home. Hogs need to find the boxes and check them out in autumn, so they know where to go to hibernate when the winter weather arrives. Feeding birds is also an important autumn job, as they need that extra food in autumn to gain energy reserves ready for winter.

Autumn is an exciting time to explore the woods at Ormesby. Fungi found at this time of year around Ormesby can include Artists Fungus (Ganoderma Applanatum), Giant Polypore (Meripilus Giganteus), Turkey Tail (Trametes Versicolor), Scarlet Elfcup (Saroscypha Austriaca) and Dryad’s Saddle (Cerioporus Squamosus). Fungi play a vital role within our ecosystems, helping to recycle nutrients from dead or decaying organic matter, aiding trees, and plants in the capture of water and nutrients and providing food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

Ivy is also a really important plant, not only providing late season flowers for the insects to forage, which is essential feeding before the winter months. Providing berries for birds and then providing warm roosting sites for insects, mammals and birds through the colder months. Have a look at the ivy in autumn, it will be buzzing with small insects, hoverflies and micromoths.