Beningbrough's garden vision

Winter 2025

Recognition in landscaping

The contracting team responsible for delivering the hard landscaping of the Mediterranean Garden have recently been recognised at the BALI National Landscaping Awards. Blakedown have won the Principal Award for Hard Landscaping Construction (non-domestic, under £500k). It is well deserved, not least considering the mud and rain they endured during the build. The quality of the end product speaks for itself, using quality materials, and following the designs by Andy Sturgeon. 

Autumn 2025

The Wilderness Garden

Work has begun to manage the self-seeded trees and shrubs in the area furthest west of the gardens. Wilderness Gardens were fashionable as geometrically-arranged compartments surrounded by hedges and containing small trees. Often providing secret areas with seating in the shade and places to meet. Beningbrough's is a less formalised design with play at the centre - and this will continue. New accessible pathways and strategically placed seating will make the most of framed views across the countryside. A fresh planting scheme to complement the mature trees will increase interest, particularly in autumn, winter, and spring.

Summer 2025

A new favourite for visitors

The garden features a series of linear walls which emerge from the sloped ground, providing a new structure to the garden. Winding pathways reveal fresh viewpoints, hidden corners, and welcoming seating areas. Water returns to the gardens with the addition of a pond, water trickles along  metal rills and shallow water bowls are home to miniature lilies.

Over 4,000 new herbaceous perennials, grasses, trees and shrubs were added to the scheme from Mediterranean climate zones around the world. Staff and volunteers in the garden team and wider National Trust contributed helped with the planting which is complemented by the use of locally quarried, sustainable Yorkstone in bowls, boulders and stones. 

2024

The future is now

The Mediterranean Garden was designed and future-proofed to be resilient in a changing climate. Plants and shrubs have been selected from Mediterranean climates from around the world due to their versatility and ability to tolerate extremes in temperature and rainfall. This provided the opportunity to experiment with planting, knowing some might not thrive in Yorkshire. Further drainage has been incorporated, including a large tank underneath the garden to help manage any fluctuations in rainfall.

As you explore, consider how your own garden might need to evolve to meet the ever-changing weather patterns we face and don't hesitate to chat to the team to find out their top tips and which plants are thriving or read more about how the National Trust is tackling climate change. 

2018

The first new garden

This serene and elegant space makes the most of one of the garden’s many south facing walls. Inspired by the site’s history, the pergola’s contemporary oak structure echoes a former glasshouse and is adorned with white wisteria, offering dappled shade and tranquil seating areas. The garden features bold hedging blocks and a restrained palette of grasses and perennials, predominantly in whites and soft pastels, creating a harmonious blend of structure and softness that invites quiet reflection and relaxation.

Watch this video to find out more from Andy and the garden team. 

2016

Walk long the ha-ha

To kick start the project, as part of the tercentenary, 300,000 spring bulbs were planted to create the ha-ha walk. Swathes of white kick start the new year in the garden each year with snowdrops, leading into the bobbing heads of daffodils in spring.

Other areas of work in between the large gardens have been more subtle such as opening up views out to the parkland and beyond and improving pathways. Some of the planting, removing and cutting back of hedges to reclaim lost spaces has been ongoing, to give them the longest time to recover and grow.