The garden and parkland at Hanbury Hall

The Parterre

The gardening team dedicates many hours of work to keep the Parterre looking weed-free and flowering. In summer you'll see vibrant colours and experience an air filled with glorious scents.

Hundreds of bulbs and bedding plants are planted each year with the goal of providing bright colours and you’ll find sweet williams, calendulas, carnations, french marigolds, african marigolds, alyssum and snapdragons working their magic.

Clipping the topiary hedging

Throughout the summer our gardeners are kept busy pruning the topiary and box hedging in the formal gardens. Grown from Buxus sempervirens, they need to be pruned back into shape twice a year, usually in June and then again in September.

The sharp lines of the freshly clipped hedges really set off the bursts of colour within them and make the Parterre a must-see experience for visitors.

Summer highlights

There’s so much to see in our gardens this summer, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites:

• Early on in the summer, look out for the dazzling purple delphiniums and pretty peonies growing in the cutting border over in Kyte's Orchard. These are picked by volunteers to go on display inside the Hall.
• You can’t miss the display of wild flowers surrounding the Hall in the parkland. They attract an abundance of wildlife throughout the summer months, including bees and butterflies.
• Apples are already starting to appear on the trees in the formal fruit garden and orchard. These will be picked in mid-late September.
• Look out for the friendly ducklings, they’re growing up fast but they’re still happy to meet visitors.
• In the height of summer the walled garden is filled with brightly coloured dahlias, some as big as dinner plates!