The garden at Mottisfont

Three women walk along a path, through colourful frosted shrubs — Visitors exploring the gardens in winter at Mottisfont, Hampshire | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Discover a garden of ancient trees, babbling brooks and rolling lawns. Carpets of spring bulbs, walled gardens, a world-famous collection of once-flowering roses, rich autumn foliage and a colourful, scented winter garden create a feast for the senses all year round.

Step into the gardens at Mottisfont

The abundant spring that gave Mottisfont its name is now an ornamental feature of the garden. Tributaries of the River Test flow through the grounds, too. Follow paths beside the waterways to spot trout basking and swans gliding.

As you approach the house, an enormous tree catches the eye – seeming to dwarf the building from some angles. This huge London plane is thought to be the largest of its kind in Britain, and forms part of the National Collection of plane trees which stand in the grounds.

The garden is home to many other fine specimen trees, including grand horse chestnuts and stately oaks, planted by Georgian owners. Twentieth-century features include an elegant double row of pollarded limes and a circle of beech trees.

Snowdrops display

From late January, hundreds of snowdrops will emerge along the river walk, clustering by the rose bridge, along the Font Stream and hiding in clusters amongst the colourful plants of the Winter Garden.

You’ll discover fascinating facts about these little white flowers on our self-led snowdrop walk along the font stream. Wander up to the beech circle to enjoy snowdrop poems, written by famous poets including Alfred Lord Tennyson and Wordsworth.

The Winter Garden

The winter garden at Mottisfont was created to bring colour and scent into the gardens during a time of year that would tend to be quiet. The shape of the winter garden was inspired by the font stream and the paths meander to reflect the way the font stream flows through the landscape.

It contains the delicately scented winter jasmine and winter honeysuckle. Witch hazel with it's striking bright yellow spidery flowers. A couple of dogwoods (cornus varieties), Anny's winter orange and Mid winter fire which were picked for their amazing coloured stems. As well as many other wonderful varieites of plants and trees.

Our winter garden highlights sign at the entrance to the winter garden picks out 10 colourful and scented horticultural highlights choosen by our garden team. Look out for delights such as the Tibetan cherry, and white stemmed bramble. This year the paper bush, planted in 2024, has been added to our top ten list for its fragrant yellow flowers.

The Kitchen Garden

Rediscovered and restored in 2018, the innovative Kitchen Garden embodies Mottisfont’s medieval history and productive past. Everything planted here is culinary, medicinal or edible, designed to educate and inspire.

Raised beds are planted with a mix of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers from spring to autumn. Surrounding a central water feature, the beds are constructed of brick and flint to reflect materials found elsewhere at Mottisfont. Running the full length of the garden are two cloister-esque wooden pergola walkways crafted from re-purposed Hampshire chestnut. These are planted with a mix of sweet peas, grape vines and gourds.

Guided garden walks

Our volunteer Garden Guides lead free themed daily walks, including a Welcome Walk which provides a general introduction for first-time visitors, alongside more in-depth history and seasonal garden walks. The Welcome Team at visitor reception will be able to advise what’s on offer when you visit.