The garden at Polesden Lacey

Published:: 06 November 2025

A path lined with yellow flowers and bare trees. — Winter garden at Polesden Lacey | © Hannah Simion Malmcrona

The garden at Polesden Lacey has something to offer all year round. Take in the views over Ranmore Common from the South Lawn and indulge in the peace and quiet in the Old Kitchen Garden and Upper Sunken Garden. Or admire the seasonal colour of the Winter Garden. Our team is working hard to take the garden to new heights and ensure there is always something beautiful to enjoy.

Winter highlights in the garden

Polesden Lacey is a beautiful place to be during the winter months. Wrap up warm and enjoy the changing landscapes as the trees display intricate patterns in their bare branches, and crisp winter mornings reveal beautiful swathes of frost across the landscape and lawns. Winter flowering species can also be seen around the garden and grounds, including hellebores starting to reveal their blooms in early December and snowdrops showing their pretty faces from January. The wider estate takes in 200 acres of ancient woodland, offering breathtaking views and invigorating walking routes.

Winter Garden

One of Polesden Lacey’s hidden gems at this time of year is the Winter Garden. Created by renowned plantsman and garden designer, Graham Stuart Thomas; it is focussed around three magnificent Persian ironwoods (Parrotica persica). A golden carpet of winter aconites sits below them, with other seasonal colour provided by snowdrops, hellebores, viburnum and Mahonia Japonica.

Snowdrops with the house in the distance at Polesden Lacey, Surrey — Snowdrops at Polesden Lacey | © National Trust Images/Mark Wigmore

A garden to enjoy in every season

Rose Garden: The branches of the rose plants in the Edwardian walled Rose Garden are still attractive set against a wintery backdrop, while woody salvias put on a beautiful display into the winter months. We have been working to improve the soil health in this area and have replaced aging and struggling rose plants in some of the beds. There are plans to replace the wooden pergola at the heart of the garden to ensure that it can continue to support its glorious display or rambling roses well into the future.
Production Garden: The Production Garden provides produce for the café kitchens all year round, from peas to potatoes and raspberries to rhubarb. Our production garden team also tends to the cold frames, herb bed and fruit cage, which was designed to mirror the outline of the nearby Gardener’s Cottage. Over the winter, you can see fine examples of rosemary, oregano and broad-leaved thyme growing in this area.
Herbaceous borders: Polesden Lacey's garden is home to one of the finest double herbaceous borders in England, featuring perennials, such as helenium, day lilies, rudbeckia and red-hot pokers. Although these plants do not flower in the winter months, their expansive foliage and tall stems still look striking along the long dual borders next to the path. We don’t use herbicides or pesticides in our gardening, as we look to support nature. We do our best to keep out the weeds, smothering them with mulch as much as possible. The local rabbits are harder to keep at bay, and you may see signs of their presence in this area. We also water only new or tender plants and will continue to adjust the herbaceous border planting scheme to support this.
House borders: There are borders on all sides of the house. Due to a recent major house render renovation project, we had to remove some of the plants from the borders at the front of the house. The original climbing wires were failing in a number of places and some of the climbers were overgrown and not in the best health. The delicate wisteria and vibrant orange pyracantha remain, as these were both planted during Margaret Greville’s time. You can expect to see them return to their full glory in a couple of years’ time. In the meantime, our garden team are working on a new planting scheme to incorporate a variety of striking plants that will bloom throughout the year no matter what month you visit Polesden Lacey. We are also restoring the South Terrace house border to return the bed to the original colour scheme as it would have been in Mrs Greville’s time. You’ll have to pay us a visit to find out which, but by incorporating a mixture of shrubs, climbers, perennials and bulbs it will be a dazzling display of which Mrs Greville would be proud.
Long Walk: The only formal element of the garden to the east of the house, and probably the most historic part of the garden, this 450m-long terrace has stunning views across swathes of SSSI chalk grassland and on to Ranmore Common and the estate. It is flanked by the atmospheric, shaded Nun’s Walk to the north and connects with the Pinetum to the west. This area is also closed to visitors until the spring, which is enabling our gardening teams to work on restoring the ancient yew hedges on either side, removing bindweed and brambles and creating accessible viewpoints for everyone to enjoy.
The Ladies Garden: The final resting place for Margaret Greville, this area was her favourite place to sit during her time here. We've added several beautiful plants intended to pay a fitting floral tribute, with shades of deep purple, green and blue. A couple of years ago, a group of staff and volunteers also planted a large number of autumn and spring flowering crocuses to add to the garden's seasonal interest and charm.
Dog graves: Although she had no children, Margaret Greville had plenty of dogs while at Polesden Lacey and all 17 are buried here, surrounded by a calming white planting scheme. A wheelchair- and buggy-accessible path runs past this contemplative spot, linking Lime Walk with the West Lawn.

Planning your visit to the gardens at Polesden Lacey: The gardens are a true highlight of any visit to Polesden Lacey, especially during the autumn when they offer seasonal interest in the colourful trees, intricate seed heads and final floral displays before the onset of winter. Volunteer-run garden tours take in key areas of the garden on selected dates (ask at Visitor Reception on arrival for dates and times) and the gardening team are always happy to answer questions and talk about their work. Many parts of the formal gardens offer step-free access. Some paths are gravel, but most are smooth with grass paths in certain areas. Wheelchairs, mobility scooters and all-terrain trikes are available to hire for easier access around the gardens and grounds. Benches are located at regular intervals, and there are plenty of opportunities to stop and drink in your surroundings on the way round. For visitors seeking a quieter spot, the Upper Sunken Garden offers tranquil surroundings, plenty of shade and is our dedicated Silent Space.