Visiting the garden at Hardwick Hall

Autumn in the garden

Autumn is a great time to discover the gardens at Hardwick, from the changing colour of leaves to the fruit ready for harvest.

The bright colours of autumn are hard to miss amid the orchards. The crunch of leaves beneath your feet, the sight of oranges and reds in the trees and the crisp autumn breeze are things to relish in the grounds of Hardwick.

Hardwick is home to two orchards in the south garden, known as 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.

At harvest time, the head chef takes every opportunity to use the fruit in the cooking at the Great Barn Restaurant. 

The Ornamental Orchard

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.

Ask the team 

The garden is cared for and managed by a team of four gardeners, with the help of a trusty team of volunteers. They are keen to share their knowledge, so feel free to ask them a question if you see them.