Things to do in the garden at Tyntesfield

Frosty Terrace at Tyntesfield House by Bob Fowler — Frosty Terrace at Tyntesfield House | © Bob Fowler

Relatively unchanged since 1900, the garden at Tyntesfield is varied, ranging from large open lawns and formal terraces, to a historic orangery and working Kitchen Garden. With seasonal planting throughout the year and numerous paths to follow, there's always something new to see.

The garden in winter

In the winter months, the garden team are working hard to prepare the beds ready for the new year. Bulbs are being planted ready for spring, and the earliest spring flowers such as snowdrops and daffodils begin to pop up.

Frost highlights the formal features of the garden, with the house standing proudly in the middle. The Holly Walk also receives a pop of colour, as the holly berries begin to appear.

There's plenty of activity in the Kitchen Garden during winter, including hardy lettuces, leeks and onions growing, ready to be harvested for hearty meals in the Cow Barn Café.

The formal terraces

The terraces were first created in the 1850s and were gradually improved by each member of the Gibbs family. Today's planting is much as it was in the early 1900s, when Tyntesfield was owned by Antony Gibbs.

With formal displays of bulbs and tender bedding plants, the terrace's ornamental flowerbeds create a colourful contrast with the Victorian Gothic house above them.

Visitor on the Yew Walk at Tyntesfield, Somerset | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

The Rose Garden

Nestled in the hillside, the Rose Garden is a quiet and sheltered retreat with manicured box hedging, a covered archway and colourful planting.

In the winter months, the garden is maintained and prepared for spring. Take a break in one of the Victorian gazebos and enjoy the views across the estate.

Repairing the Rose Garden gazebos

The Rose Garden's twin gazebos were in a state of disrepair when the National Trust first began caring for Tyntesfield in 2002, and many of the Victorian tiles were missing or broken. Now, thanks to careful restoration work from specialist conservators, the gazebos have been returned to their former glory and can be enjoyed once more.

The Rose Garden restoration project

We have now completed our Rose Garden restoration project after 4 years of work. We've installed metal edging to define the beds and a refreshed the path surface. The beds have been replanted with a mix of perennials including Agastache, Helenium, Penstemon and Salvia, and over 100 highly scented roses.

A new yew hedge will feature along the back of the garden, and a large herbaceous border wraps around the top lawn.

Paradise

Paradise, as it was named by the Gibbs family, is an arboretum with a collection of specimen trees brought from all over the world to grow at Tyntesfield.

As well as a number of unusual and international trees, Tyntesfield is also home to many Champion Trees. These trees are significant due to their height, age, girth or another remarkable quality. Tyntesfield contains over 40 Somerset county champions, five of which are Great Britain and Ireland champions.

The Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden has been providing fruit and vegetables for the Tyntesfield estate since the 1860s. Today, the majority of the produce is used in the Cow Barn restaurant, with the rest available to take home, for a donation, from our produce table.

Why not peek into the working buildings surrounding the Walled Garden – the potting shed, tool shed and apple store – which are still used for their original purpose? Or the Victorian glasshouses that are full of seasonal plants throughout the year?

A frosty Kitchen Garden at Tyntesfield, Somerset | © National Trust Images/Anna Kilcooley

The Orangery and cut-flower garden

When the National Trust first began caring for Tyntesfield in 2002, the Orangery was virtually derelict with several stone columns missing and serious damage to the roof. Today, thanks to careful restoration work by professional conservators and Architectural Stone Conservation students from City of Bath College, the Orangery has been returned to its former glory.

The Orangery today

In front of the Orangery are the bright and colourful beds of the cut-flower garden, which would have been enjoyed by the Gibbs family and their guests from the 1890s. Today, the flowers are used by Tyntesfield's volunteers to create the flower arrangements in the house.