Discover the garden at Kingston Lacy

A stone obelisk behind red leaves with sunlight shining through — Low sunlight brings out the colours of acers in Blind Walk | © National Trust / Clare Gascoigne

Relax in the garden at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, with a gentle stroll or a brisk walk; you'll be sure of far-reaching views. The changing seasons bring interest to areas ranging from the Fernery and formal garden to the South Lawn and Kitchen Garden. Come in the spring for cherry blossom, in autumn for flaming red Japanese maples, and in winter for carpets of snowdrops.

Enhance your enjoyment with a garden tour

In September and October you can discover the history and seasonal highlights of Kingston Lacy's many acres with a special garden tour. The tours are free (normal admission applies), so book your place now to indulge your passion for the Kitchen Garden, Japanese Garden or Formal Garden. You can find all the details on Upcoming events.

The Kitchen Garden

The hour-long tours showcase the fascinating history and current usage of this iconic space, built in 1876 at a cost of £2,740 (about £180,000 today) and a favourite with the Bankes family.

The Japanese Garden

With a classic Tea Garden at its heart, this modern interpretation of a centuries-old horticultural tradition was planted with features such as bamboo, acer and cherry trees; find out how the seven-acre space has developed as the trees and shrubs mature, underplanted with wild flowers.

You might also be interested in experiencing the Japanese Garden in a different way: a tour combined with a tea tasting, in collaboration with Bath-based Comins Tea.

The Formal Garden

Classic Victorian bedding is on show in these tours, where you can discover the history, horticulture and highlights of the season, from the carefully planned displays on South Terrace to the historic planting of Lime Avenue and Nursery Wood.

Discover the Kitchen Garden's orchards

If you've got a passion for apples and pears, you're in for a treat this autumn at Kingston Lacy. Learn all the tips and tricks to pruning fruit trees at a workshop on 5 September; crunch your way into the season with an apple-picking day that will help you discover some of the many different varieties; and set your taste-buds tingling at one of our apple-pressing days.

There'll be more apple events on the wider estate, so keep an eye out for more information.

The garden in autumn

Autumn is bright, bold and beautiful at Kingston Lacy. The Acer Glade and Japanese Garden take centre stage, with more than 40 varieties of acer exploding with fiery reds, yellows and oranges.

A walk round the garden will engage all your senses; pause to listen to the dry leaves rustling (you're never to old to try and catch a falling leaf), feel the peeling bark of paperbark maples and breathe in the fresh scents of newly turned soil.

In the Fernery, autumn's falling leaves mean sunlight can penetrate the sheltered paths, creating shafts of light that can be perfect for photographers. It can be the best place to spot a funky fungi too.

Share your pictures with us on social media @NTKingstonLacy and #EveryoneNeedsNature.

Escape into autumn

Lime Avenue's majestic trees turn into a shimmering yellow canopy, leading you into the autumn woodlands of the parkland. Head up to the Kitchen Garden, where the ripening apples and pears bring extra oomph (we love a good dahlia), and look out for the squashes and pumpkins that will soon be harvested for our talented chefs to turn into delicious food in the Stables cafe.

A Japanese lantern with red and yellow leaved trees behind — The Acer Glade can colour your autumn | © National Trust / Jayne Szekely

Kingston Lacy's garden

South Lawn

The wide open spaces of South Lawn are perfect for a game of frisbee, or spread out a rug for a picnic. Or settle in to one of the deckchairs that go out in the summer, ready for a peaceful snooze surrounded by the hum of insects.

South Terrace and the Parterre

Follow the wide path in front of the house to see beautifully planted formal borders. The South Terrace's spring bulb display is followed by a tropical vibe, with exotics in dark colours. Then you can look down into the Parterre, an example of classic Victorian bedding updated for the 21st century.

The Fernery

This shady, secret spot with its twisting paths, benches and rustic raised beds was recreated after the Trust took over Kingston Lacy. Head to the Fernery in January and February to see many different varieties of snowdrop in flower, or find a bench by the fountain to escape the heat of summer.

Cedar Avenue

Stroll down Cedar Avenue and take in the beauty of the majestic and stately cedar trees. Many of these trees were cultivated from seeds brought from the slopes of Mount Lebanon in the early 1800s; the Bankes family also invited royal guests to plant a cedar tree to mark a visit.

Lime Avenue

Lime Avenue forms a spectacular cathedral of trees, with successive waves of colour throughout the year. In the winter the ground turns white with snowdrops, followed by the yellow of daffodils, the blue of bluebells, and the white of wild garlic. Visit later in the year to inhale the wonderful scent of the limes.

Nursery Wood and the Hyde collection

At the end of Lime Aveneue is the arboretum, Nursery Wood. This area bursts into life during the spring and summer months, with a spectacular display of azalea, camellia and rhododendron.

George Hyde was a local nurseryman, a rhododendron and azalea hybridist, who had been a pupil of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Wimborne. In 1996 Rosemary Legrand, his daughter, presented a gift of over 500 mature Hyde azalea and rhododendron hybrids raised by her father, including the named and registered Shakespeare rhododendron collection, and his mature camellia stock plants, to the National Trust for the gardens at Kingston Lacy.

Autumn is a great time to see peeling bark on the paperbark maples, and look out too for the delicate white and pale pink blossom of the winter-flowering cherry, which appears throughout the winter to lift spirits.

The Camellia Walk

Turn the other way at the end of Lime Avenue to discover a collection of colourful camellias, which bloom for months from as early as January. Huge bushes with glossy green leaves are covered in the reds and pinks of these glamorous flowers, which keep their colour as they drift to the ground.

The Japanese Garden

Set foot in the far east as you explore this seven-acre interpretation of a centuries-old horticultural tradition. Follow Lady Walk and look out for bamboo plants, granite lanterns and an authentic Japanese tea garden, set amid acers and cherry trees underplanted with wildflowers.

Red and yellow flowers in long borders, a wheelbarrow in the centre and a thatched summerhouse in the background — The cut flower borders in the Kitchen Garden | © National Trust/Nick Ashby

An ancient treasure leads the way

The nine-metre-high Philae obelisk casts a shadow over Kingston Lacy’s South Lawn, and leads the way to Blind Walk, a meandering path with cherry trees and shrubs that provide all-year-round interest (and a second obelisk).

Stay on South Lawn to discover the Sunken Garden, planted with colourful bulbs in spring and a pollinator's paradise of wildflowers in the summer.

Kitchen Garden

A slightly longer walk takes you to the Kitchen Garden, which has been conserved to give visitors a sense of the garden's Victorian heyday. There are glasshouses with vines and peaches, a new orchard planted along a pergola that spans the width of the garden, and a chance to see inside the buildings used by the garden team more than 100 years ago.

There's a play area for children, and a kiosk serving hot and cold drinks and light snacks.

There are more changes planned, so come along and see what’s been going on. There may even be seasonal products to take home for a small donation. There's a more indepth article at the foot of this page.