The Parterre at Waddesdon Manor

The Parterre in the Gardens at Waddesdon

In May and October of each year, our Head Gardener Paul Farnell and his team, create stunning displays using thousands of bulbs and plants.

Intricate displays

Each spring and summer our head gardener and his team, with the help of our garden volunteers, plant up an intricate and colorful display of plants and bulbs. Grown for us by Kernock Park Plants in Cornwall, each bulb is planted by hand, by the time the team has finished we've planted nearly 19,000 in total.

What is a parterre?

A parterre is a formal type of garden, which has been created on a level surface, consisting of planted beds, which are usually in symmetrical patterns. These beds are separated and connected by gravel pathways and edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging. Some parterres don't actually contain any flowers.

Carpet bedding

Either side of the South Fountain on the parterre, sit two large beds. Following the restoration in 1994, the colour and design of the flowers in these beds links each year to our exhibitions inside the house.
 

A Savonnerie carpet recreated in bedding plants at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire

A Savonnerie carpet

This year's carpet bedding design has been inspired by the Louis XIV Savonnerie carpet in the Red Drawing room and has been planted with low growing bedding plants.

A 3D sculpture of a Pekin robin in carpet bedding at Waddesdon Manor

3D Sculpture 

The Rothschilds were pioneers in creating garden sculpture covered in carpet bedding, two exceptional examples of this are the 3D Pekin robin and pheasant near the Aviary garden. There are 20,426 plants in the pheasant and its bed and 9,708 plants in the robin and its bed, that's a lot of plants. Make sure you don't miss them.

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Colours of the rainbow

Our colour scheme this year for the raised ribbon beds on the parterre is yellow and blue, with a large display of yellow and blue petunia, begonia, marigold, nemesia and salvia.

A group of volunteers stand in front of the Manor at Waddesdon

Become a garden volunteer 

Do you love gardening? Have you ever thought about volunteering to help out in the garden at Waddesdon? We have over 300 volunteers who help us in all areas of the property and we welcome more.