Montacute House is one of the few Elizabethan houses in England to still have its compartmentalised garden. From the impressive ‘wibbly wobbly’ hedges by the Cedar Lawn, to the tropical interior of the Orangery, each area offers something different for you to explore and enjoy, no matter what the season.
The garden this season
Longer, brighter days bring Montacute’s gardens back to life, with more than 20,000 bulbs planted over winter now beginning to bloom.
The Stables Orchard is one of the first places to shine, with extended drifts of daffodils—including Yellow Cheerfulness, February Silver and Topolino—flowering through to May. You’ll also find cheerful yellows in the Pollinator Border, where the Hellebores are at their spring best.
Tulips are a true highlight of spring at Montacute House. From the moment you arrive, you’ll spot them by South Lodge and in the newly planted border near Visitor Reception, where 2,000 bulbs were added this winter. Look out for more tulips beneath the cut‑leaf beech tree, in the Café Courtyard planters and filling the East Court borders. Their flowering time varies with the weather, but once they emerge, they offer around four weeks of colour.
North Garden
Bounded by raised walks and hedges of yew, the North Garden includes rows of individual clipped Irish yews. Excellent views of the house and over the park can be enjoyed and a gap in the yew hedge at the north-west corner gives access to steps that lead down to the ice house. The fountain pond in the centre is home of a number of Koi fish.
The Irish yews in the North Garden are currently being cut back as part of a restoration project. They may look a little stark for now, but this essential work will help them regain their traditional form. For a preview of the finished look, visit the restored yews on Cedar Lawn and along the West Drive.
East Court
Originally Montacte House was approached from the east, making East Court part of the entrance to the house. It is surrounded on three sides by balustraded walls of glowing Ham stone that are adorned with lanterns and obelisks. On the west side is the terrace of the house.
The old walls shelter mixed flower and shrub borders, following a planting scheme devised in the 1950s by Vita Sackville-West with the replanting supervised by Mrs Phyllis Reiss of nearby Tintinhull Garden.
This extensive lawn is a great spot to enjoy a picnic, with views across the parkland and a pair of tall cedars at its south end. According to the manorial survey map of circa 1782, this lawn was known as Pig’s Wheatle Orchard and was converted into a bowling green in the 19th century. On the west side of the lawn are large yews, affectionately known as the 'wibbly wobbly' hedges.
The servants' path
Screened by the wibbly wobbly hedge is the servants' path, which runs the length of the garden area. The border there is used to grow cut flowers at one end and the remainder has been planted specifically to encourage pollinators. The wall supports fan-trained fig trees planted in approximately 1945.
West Drive
The West Drive marks the approach to the house with a grand avenue of clipped Irish yews leading to the west gate, flanked by stone piers surmounted by the Phelips family crest. The crest consists of a basket of flames and bears the date 1787.
In recent years, major conservation of these iconic yews was undertaken to reduce and reshape them to restore 19th-century sight lines.
Garden Orchard
The Garden Orchard on the South Drive is one of the less formal areas of the garden, making it ideal for running around and eating picnics.
The Orangery, tucked into the corner of the terrace, was built by 1840, with decorative obelisks linking it to the Elizabethan origins of the garden. It's shown on an 1848 sketch as 'new Garden Green House'.
With its lush ferns and palms in the central raised beds, the walls are clothed in climbers such as ipomea, jasmine and Abutilon 'Nabob' and Abutilon 'Natalie'. The perfect spot to sit with a book and relax as you listen to the trickling water of the fountain.
These English yew hedges are believed to be around 150 years old and up until 1947 were perfectly straight.
It’s believed that a harsh winter that year brought thick snow which lay on the tops of the yews, causing them to collapse.
The collapsed hedges have since became lovingly known as ‘wibbly wobbly’ although gardeners may know them more correctly as cloud-cut.
The garden team cut the hedges annually from September. The job normally takes about three months, because there is over a mile of hedging. It'll take two people 10 days to complete, using electric hedge cutters, platform scaffolding and a cherry picker to reach the tops.
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