Hardwick's historic garden bursts with colour whatever the season and offers a calm and tranquil haven. Here are the top garden highlights to look out for on your next visit.
Autumn in the gardens
Enjoy serenity in the garden at Hardwick Hall as late summer gently moves into the autumn months. Stroll through the gardens and see how the vibrant summer blooms make way for rich autumn colour.
There are still plenty of colourful flowers to be seen in the borders at Hardwick from late summer through to October and beyond.
Autumn in the garden
Autumn is a great time to discover the gardens at Hardwick. As the leaves begin to change colour and the orchards fill with ripe fruit, the gardens slowly transform.
Stroll the pathways with the crunch of leaves underfoot, and experience a canopy of rich oranges and reds that line the grounds.
Hardwick is home to two distinct orchards in the south garden: the Fruiting Orchard and the Ornamental Orchard.
The Fruiting Orchard
The Fruiting Orchard is aptly named for the variety of fruiting trees in this orchard including apples, pears and stone fruits such as damsons and plums. Apple varieties growing at Hardwick include Newton Wonder, Blenheim Orange and Norfolk Beefing.
Newton Wonder is a Derbyshire local variety, found as a chance seedling in the 1870s. Within the Fruiting Orchard, there is also a Jargonelle pear tree, one of the oldest pears in cultivation, planted at Hardwick around 1924.
The Ornamental Orchard, as its name suggests, was not designed to bear fruit like the earlier orchard, but instead to provide beautiful blossom in spring. However, even in autumn, a stroll through this orchard will not disappoint, with sights of Chinese crab apples among the branches.
Two older trees, planted before these later ornamental additions, are the Duke of Devonshire and Norfolk Beefing.
The garden is cared for and managed by a team of gardeners, with the help of a trusty team of volunteers. They are keen to share their knowledge, so please feel free to ask them a question if you see them.
Discover more at Hardwick
Find out when Hardwick is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Read how wealth, power and ambition drove Bess of Hardwick to build her grand design, filled with a treasure trove of fine furnishings that can still be seen at Hardwick Hall today.
Hardwick is a three pawprint rated place, and offers plenty of opportunities for bounding, jumping and sniffing for dogs. With acres to explore, come and join us for a wander.
