Things to do in the garden at Saltram

A Young family explore the Orange Grove Pond young boy plays with leaf in the water — The Orange Grove moving changing colour into the Autumn months | © ©National Trust Images/Sophie Bolesworth

With beautiful views of its Palladian exterior, the garden and grounds at Saltram remain a peaceful space throughout the year. Filled with many impressive specimens of rare, ancient and exotic trees and plants, the garden is a horticultural delight. Bursts of colour adorn each area throughout the seasons and the heady scents along many paths fill the senses during a walk.

Saltram trials pioneering technology

This summer, Saltram is trialling NaviLens technology to help blind and partially sighted visitors explore the garden independently. Approved by the RNIB, NaviLens uses QR-like codes to offer audio descriptions and guidance. Saltram is the first National Trust property to test this in an outdoor heritage environment. Download the free NaviLens app, and your phone will read out signs in your chosen language. Funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the trial runs until September 2024.

Find out more about NaviLens

Specimen trees at Saltram

The garden is home to some magnificent specimen trees. Several are older than the house and garden buildings and have been a part of Saltram throughout its history.

A famous tree

Did you know there’s a film-star tree in our garden? This over-400-year-old veteran English oak, located at the far end of the lime avenue, had its moment in the spotlight in the 1995 film Sense & Sensibility, where a treehouse was built within its branches just for the production. Today, it’s a treasured specimen, with snowdrops and crocuses carpeting the ground beneath it, bringing seasonal color and beauty year-round.

The red leaves of a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) in the garden at Saltram — The leaves of a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) turn red in the autumn in the garden at Saltram | © Sarah Elmes

Saltram's garden in autumn

Tropical plants burst into life around the Orange Grove from mid-summer to autumn. Hot colours are provided by dahlias like ‘David Howard’, ‘Bishop of Oxford’ and ‘Honka’, which mix with drifts of Canna indica ‘Purpurea’, ginger lilies and Ligularia.

Tender annuals like the impressive Ricinus communis ‘Red Giant’ and tropical flowering bulbs, like the pineapple lily add to the show. All this grows around the backdrop of topical shrubs, which includes the jelly palm, rice paper plant and Japanese bananas.

Autumnal walks through changing colour

Saltram's Lime Avenue transforms into a golden orange tunnel in the autumn, as the ancient trees shed their leaves before the winter creating a wonderful show of colour. The last of the summer colour hangs on with hydragneas giving a final show and the tropical colour of the orange grove looking beautiful well into September. Walking through the garden the views out towards the estate and city beyond change into rusty oranges and browns making the perfect backdrop to a crisp autumnal walk.

Orange grove in the garden Saltram Devon — Orange Grove in the garden at Saltram | © National Trust Images Paul Harris

Saltram's Lime Avenue

Saltram is home to the Lime Avenue, a quarter-of-a-mile-long lime avenue, which is well worth taking your time to amble down and appreciate. It's believed to be the longest of its type in Europe.

Changes over time

When viewed from either end, you can see that the whole avenue is noticeably leaning to the north, having grown up being exposed to the prevailing south-westerly winds.

As well as being a striking linear feature of the garden, the avenue also helps to absorb all that wind, thereby protecting the many tender and exotic plants in the heart of the garden.

The Orange Grove

The Orange Grove was originally designed as somewhere for the citrus trees to thrive during the summer months and these Mediterranean plants can still be found here today.

There are lemons, limes, grapefruits, manadarins as well as Seville oranges and blood oranges in the planters in the grove and outside the orangery.

Sheltered from the wind, with full sun all day and a pond at the centre preventing the grove from getting too warm, this is the perfect spot for citrus trees.

Saltram boasts relatively mild and dry winters, thanks to its coastal location, and rarely gets frost or snow. This, combined with the Orange Grove’s special design, produces a microclimate that means the grove’s surrounding beds are home to interesting and exotic plants.

Running with the ‘orange’ theme, head gardener Martin planted fiery-coloured plants around the grove.

Trees around the grove

An impressive black walnut and eastern hemlock grow to the south, with the former supporting a huge vine. All of these protect the Orange Grove from the wind.

A coast redwood tree and stately old yew grow behind the chapel and rhododendrons and mature Chinese windmill palms add to the tropical backdrop.

Silent Space

At Saltram we are pleased to offer visitors a 'Silent Space' in the Orange Grove. We lead hectic lives. It can be difficult, particularly for those of us who live in urban areas, to find five minutes peace in natutre. In 2016, garden writer Liz Ware set up a not-for-profit project and called it Silent Space. Visitors to these quiet areas are invited to switch off from technology and to take time to reflect and relax surrounded by green space. The Orange Grove at Saltram is one such space, along with several other National Trust properties across the country. It's the perfect spot to unwind, listen to the running water and connect with nature and with yourself. The Orange Grove is a Silent Space every morning 10-11am.

Garden tours

Join one of Saltram’s expert gardeners for a guided walk through the ever-changing gardens. Learn how the gardens are cared for, get a glimpse of what's blooming in the coming months, and pick up some useful gardening tips to try at home.

Tours are free and take place at 11am every other Wednesday, starting at the Stables Bed (near the entrance to the Stables in the Garden). Explore the hundreds of plant species that thrive in different seasons throughout the year.

Garden tours will resume in spring 2025.