The garden at Hinton Ampner

Published:: 22 August 2024

Small trees with white blossom stand over a swathe of daffodils, with a flint tower in the background — Spring in the garden at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire | © National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole

Discover the ever-changing garden at Hinton Ampner. No matter what season you visit, there will be something to delight and inspire. With exceptional views over the South Downs from the south lawn, the Sunken Garden with its lily pond and the productive walled garden, there is always something beautiful to enjoy.

Spring in the garden

Spring at Hinton Ampner begins in earnest as the snowdrops fade, the humming of early bumblebees and a chorus of bird song bring a joyful and hopeful atmosphere to the garden as hundreds of lemon-yellow daffodils burst into bloom across the orchard amongst a sea of blue Balkan anemones. Pops of pink and white Camellia and Magnolia flowers appear beneath the boughs of beech trees in the Magnolia garden lighting up this shady corner and you can also find pink Magnolia perfuming the air on the terrace, whilst magnificent cream blooms of Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alba’ burst into bloom below the Yew Garden.

In the orchard and East Lawn, delicate chequered snakeshead fritillary and soft yellow cowslips push through the tufty grass beneath frothy white and pink cascades of cherry blossom trees. Later, we’ll have gorgeous displays of tulips in a palette of pastel colours. Over 6000 bulbs can be found squeezed into wide rectangular beds the length of the Sunken Garden, and in the hexagonal island beds in the Yew Garden as well as in borders, decorative pots and urns. In our picturesque walled kitchen garden daffodils burst into bloom under the sculptural espaliered apple trees, in the borders you will see salmon-pink spires of Eremurus and fresh-green mounds of new plant growth flanked by bold, round-headed purple Alliums.
As we enter late spring, look out for the tall blue spires of Camassia in the Orchard and apple blossom bursting into blossom out across the garden. Rhododendrons bring spectacle to the North Drive and some of our early flowering roses, including Rose ‘Bengal Beauty’ a beautiful, ancient China rose, come into flower from early May and go on flowering right through the season.

Hinton Ampner is alive with colour, scent, sound and beauty at this time of year.

Pink and white tulips and topiary in the Sunken Garden with the house in the background at Hinton Ampner — View of the Sunken Garden in spring at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

The Walled Garden

A conventional country estate walled kitchen garden, it is laid out traditionally with cruciform pathways, vegetable beds, herbaceous and shrub borders.

Dating back to the original Tudor house, it is thought that the Walled Garden could have originally been the hop garden. At approximately one-and-a-half acres in size, it lies to the north of the house and greets visitors as they come in the main entrance.

Lined with heritage espalier apple and pear trees, the garden is once again being used to grow a rich variety of fruits and vegetables, with a flower-cutting border at its heart. This productive garden supplies the café with homegrown produce throughout the growing season.

The glasshouse

The glasshouse is located within the Walled Garden and looks out across the kitchen garden. The temperature in the glasshouse is steady and warm as it benefits from the warmth held within the bricks forming its back wall. The garden team and garden volunteers maintain an ever changing display of exotic houseplants, all arranged upon a shelf at waist level. The raised level of the plants makes for an ideal vantage point to spot all the details and beauty of the shapes, scents and forms of the plants being grown. During February and March the display features narcissus, crocus and agave. Do pop by frequently, to take in the beauty of this ever changing display.

The orchard

The orchard is located on the site of the old Tudor house. Edged by low, clipped box hedges it is home to several varieties of flowering cherries and fruit trees. Cleverly designed with a symmetrical layout, it’s carpeted with hundreds of bright yellow daffodils in the spring.

The grass in the orchard is left to grow naturally throughout the spring and summer to provide a habitat for wildlife. The pathways align with the gateway to the kitchen garden. Discover a corner of peace and seclusion on the bench set obliquely against the backdrop of the church tower.

The Walled Garden and All Saints church at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire. A stone square church tower with a tiled roof is visible beyond large shrubs, with tall trees to either side — The Walled Garden and All Saints church at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

The lily pond

To the east of the house, the rectangular lily pond sits flanked by a pair of recumbent sphinxes leading up to the drawing room windows, framed by pink cherry blossom in the spring and fragrant pale pink rose borders in the summer. At the opposite end, a bench provides the perfect retreat for quiet contemplation throughout the seasons.

The formal garden

The formal parterres to the south of the house comprise a beautifully maintained lawn and several attractive borders edging the pathway in front of the house. They bloom with many different varieties of flowers throughout the year, from heavenly scented pink lilac and unusual tulip varieties in the spring, to huge red poppies and diverse herbaceous borders in the summer. Benches along the stone walkway provide the perfect vantage point to admire the breathtaking views out across the South Downs.

A stone balustrade adorned with climbing roses and honeysuckle separates the formal garden and the elegant stone steps down to the Sunken Garden. To the western end of the terrace lawn a stone nymph is framed by a branch of a large horse chestnut and set against a background of parkland and wide-open sky.

The Sunken Garden

The Sunken Garden sits below the front lawn to the south of the house, with far-reaching views over the South Downs. Created in 1934, the centre is laid out with four rectangular beds that change with the seasons.

The long walk

The long walk, over 200 yards in length, is a grass path running below the south terrace, passing through the centre of the sunken garden and through to the old tennis courts. This formal walkway features masterfully shaped and maintained Irish yew hedges on either side of the path.

Tennis court and temple

One of the oldest features of the garden, the tennis court is one of the more remote areas of the garden, providing a large tranquil expanse of lawn.

The elegant temple, built around 1939, features a porphyry bust of Poppaea (wife of Nero) on a column. Tucked away in skilfully planted shrubberies, it provides the perfect place to sit and admire the view south onto to the parkland and lime avenue.

The Dell

Originally an old chalk pit, the Dell is a hidden and unexpected feature of the garden. Planted with evergreen shrubs around the top and enclosed with box hedges to create a serpentine walk down to its centre, the Dell has a wonderfully luxuriant, tropical feel to it. Sheltered by a canopy of ash and lime trees, it provides a quiet and meditative space for moments of reflection.

The North Drive

Comprising a variety of evergreen trees and shrubs, the North Drive creates a strong contrast to the open pasture and scattered trees of the parkland beyond with a magnificent yew hedge artfully clipped into a lively abstract pattern.

At the north end of the vista, a stone urn sits regally overlooking the site of the Battle of Cheriton, framing the old brick ha-ha and views of the parkland. The southern half of the drive curves elegantly round to reveal the view towards the front of the house.

Silent Space

Silent Space is a charity that encourages gardens open to the public to reserve an area where visitors can take time to reflect quietly and to enjoy the beauty of the garden and the sounds of nature without distractions.

Hinton Ampner’s garden is all about tranquillity but we also have a dedicated area in The Dell for quiet contemplation. The area is marked on our visitor maps or do ask a member of the team for directions.

For more information on Silent Space, visit the website:
https://silentspace.org.uk