Explore village open gardens, opulent estate grounds, delightful garden centres and nurseries all offering plenty of inspiration for your own horticultural adventures at home.
National Garden Scheme
You’ll be utterly spoiled for choice during the National Garden Scheme (NGS) Open Gardens season. Near Stamford, Burghley House’s magnificent Private South Gardens were among the very first gardens to open for the National Garden Scheme when it began in 1927. Rutland boasts a bumper crop of other glorious gardens to visit, will the villages of Greetham and Wing opening a range of private gardens on 7th and 21th June respectively. Other individual NGS open gardens include;
Sunday 7 June – Uppingham
Sunday 7 June – Redhill Lodge, Barrowden (LE15 8EN)
Sunday 7 June – Deene Park, Deene (NN17 3EW)
Sunday 14 June – Prebendal House (LE15 8PW)
Sunday 14 June – Home Farm – Ryhall (PE9 4HA)
Sunday 21 June & Sunday 30 August – Tresillian House (LE13 0BQ)
Grand Gardens
The castles, stately homes and manor houses in and around Rutland boast truly stunning gardens, offering plenty of inspiration for your own horticultural adventures at home.
Renowned as England’s greatest Elizabethan residence, Burghley House sits within extensive gardens and parkland, much of which was designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown after 1754. Today, specially commissioned contemporary artworks, both permanent pieces and seasonal additions, sit beautifully within the Sculpture Garden at Burghley House. This space is adjacent to the ever-popular Garden of Surprises, and the two complement one another perfectly.
Careful restoration since 2001 has brought Easton Walled Gardens back to life. Today, this restored 400-year-old garden is home to snowdrops, sweet peas, roses and meadows, while the River Witham meanders through, teeming with wildlife. Other highlights include a turf maze, yew tunnel and cut flower gardens.
Steeped in history, Rockingham Castle’s striking buildings create a magnificent backdrop to its formal gardens, which boast unrivalled views over the Welland Valley.
The ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland for around 1,000 years, Belvoir Castle’s grounds contain some outstanding features, including Japanese Woodland planted with more than 250 specimen camellias; Europe’s tallest yew tree (over 95 feet) which towers over the Rose Garden and the Duchess Garden, which has one of the oldest, hexagonal, thatch-roofed root houses in Britain.
A list of Rutland gardens would not be complete without mentioning the popular Barnsdale Gardens! Originally created by Geoff Hamilton for the Gardeners’ World TV show, Barnsdale is home to 38 pocket-sized, themed garden ‘rooms’, built in his trademark, practical style, and full of inspiration for garden-lovers of all ages.
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue, where century-old topiary takes centre stage. Once a grand driveway, the 130 uniquely shaped trees offer a calm, free, and a little bit surreal excursion. Take a picnic, take your time, and enjoy the sense of stepping into a living sculpture gallery.
In Bloom
A friendly bunch of volunteer gardeners (known as ‘Bloomers’!) plants, maintains and develops new projects with Oakham in Bloom, a registered, volunteer-led charity which exists to make the town more beautiful.
As well as hosting a very popular stand at last year’s Rutland Flower Show, the Bloomers got their hands dirty looking after vibrant planters, the Osprey Roundabout, Rutland County Museum Garden and supporting bigger projects such as the restoration of the willow Spitfire on Oakham bypass.
Uppingham in Bloom is an award-winning volunteer group dedicated to maintaining the floral displays, green spaces, and historic charm of Uppingham, winning Best Small Town in the East Midlands.
