Visiting the garden at Erddig

A frost covered garden and house at Erddig, Wrexham — View of Erddig Hall from the garden | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Visit a fully restored 18th-century garden at Erddig, shaped by the plans of John Meller. A rich London lawyer, Meller bought Erddig in 1714, and today you can see fruit trees in abundance, just as they featured in Joshua Edisbury’s original garden plans in the 1680s. Discover a wide variety of fruit trees in this Grade I-listed garden, planted during the restoration.

Autumn highlights

Autumn is the time to admire Erddig’s orchard and the skilfully trained espalier fruit trees which hang heavy with a huge variety of apples. Experience the colours of the season as the impressive pleached lime avenue turns gold and a blaze of red Boston ivy covers the west front of the hall.

Take a stroll around the 1200-acre estate, which is home to stately old trees. Many are home-grown, while others were introduced from foreign lands in the 1800s when the park was landscaped.

Winter highlights in the garden at Erddig

Winter is the perfect time to see and appreciate the structure of the Garden at Erddig. Pleached limes, hedges, trained fruit, paths, ponds and walls all take centre stage during the coldest season.

Take a stroll around the 1,200-acre estate to admire its stately old trees. Many are native species, while others were introduced from foreign lands in the 1800s when the park was landscaped.

Winter fungi and plants

Early in winter, look out for fungi such as waxcaps. There's a huge variety of fungi species across the estate, particularly on deadwood habitats, veteran trees and in the grasslands down in the parkland.

Crab apples, sloes, holly berries and hazelnuts offer food for wildlife and later on in the season you'll see snowdrops and wild primroses begin to bloom in the woodlands.

A young visitor runs past the espaliered trees in the garden at Erddig, Wales, in winter. — Espaliered trees in the garden at Erddig in winter | © National Trust Images/Rob Stothard

Winter wildlife

Keep your eyes peeled for green woodpeckers around this time. They're the largest and most elusive woodpecker in the UK. Look out for a flash of green flying or ‘dipping’ low to the ground in open fields near wooded areas.

You can also spot jays. This member of the corvid family has a distinctive blue and pink plumage and you can often see them in woodland.

Even if you don't manage to spot your favourite winter species, listen carefully and you might be lucky enough to hear the calls of foxes, owls, robins and buzzards.

Outdoor tours at Erddig

Discover the secrets of Erddig on one of our free tours led by expert volunteer guides.

Tours last approximately 45 minutes and look more closely at a variety of topics, for example our most popular Potted History tour, which provides a general introduction to Erddig, and the Garden Tour, Working Estate tour, and Vehicles tour.

Outdoor tours run throughout each day in March to October and weekends only in November. Please note, we rely on the availability of our volunteers and therefore tours may not run every day. There is no booking required - simply visit the Midden Yard where you'll find the day's tour times and meeting point.

A group of visitors tour a garden in front of a red-brick house, led by a man holding a red folder. — A group tours Erddig’s 18th-century garden | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Things to see in the garden at Erddig

Now Erddig grows more than 180 varieties of apple tree which culminates in an annual apple harvest celebration each October. Edisbury’s garden would have fitted into John Meller’s garden walls 12 times.

A garden for all seasons

Throughout the year, loose gravelled pathways around the walled garden allow visitors to easily enjoy the views without getting too muddy or wet, and little feet enjoy the crunching sound come rain or shine.

Erddig features extensive lawns, trained fruit trees, exuberant annual herbaceous borders, avenues of pleached limes, formal hedges, conical topiary, a nationally important collection of ivies and a Victorian parterre bedding display that usually changes twice a year.

Places to rest in the garden

Dotted along the pathways you’ll find seats and alcoves to sit and rest awhile. Be sure to find the two hidden alcoves to the north and south of the Victorian parterre, perfect for a picnic.

In summertime and on dry days in spring and autumn, the deckchairs are out, and you can relax for as long as you like or bring your own picnic blanket.

A woman lifts a child so he can see the sundial in the garden at Erddig, Wrexham, Wales. Behind them can be seen deckchairs and a row of espalier fruit trees. — Woman and child looking at the sundial at Erddig | © National Trust Images/Vicki Coombe

Family fun in the garden at Erddig

Enjoy a family walk or tick off several of the '50 things to do before you’re 11¾' activities in the garden. You can easily do No. 8 Spot a fish or No. 31 Make friends with a bug and the garden is perfect for No. 1 – Get to know a tree.

We’re sorry, but dogs are not allowed in the Grade I-listed garden, but they are welcome on the 1,200-acre estate and in the tea garden through to the Midden Yard.

Wolf’s Den

Head into Wolf’s Den natural play area in late spring and you’ll find a carpet of white-flowering wild garlic. The Erddig parkland overflows with this delicate wild-flowering bulb and the orange waymarked route takes you through Big Wood to see the largest blankets. Please note Wolf's Den will be closed from November 6, 2023 until February 10, 2024 for maintenance and for conservation purposes to allow the precious tree roots to rest.