The garden at Emmetts Garden

Autumn colour in the rock garden. Vibrant burgundy acers, red, orange and gold foliage alongside evergreens and pale pink flowers among the rocks. — Autumn colour in the rock garden. | © National Trust Images/Nick Dougan

With different areas of the garden, and far-reaching views, there’s always something new to see here. This Edwardian garden has plenty of secrets to reveal including a Rose Garden, Rock Garden and water features.

Autumn at Emmetts Garden

Come and watch the changing of the seasons as the leaves all slowly begin to show their autumn colours. Here are some seasonal highlights for you to look out for on your visit:

Burnt toffee tree

Every autumn the leaves start to give off a tempting aroma that smells just like burnt sugar or candyfloss. This is a tree that needs to be seen (or sniffed) to be believed.

Winged spindle

During the autumn months its leaves turn a fiery red.

Japanese maples

Acer trees are well known for their stunning foliage and the Japanese maples are no exception. The amber colours look fantastic in the autumn sunshine.

Autumn crocuses

Appearing in the North Garden borders, these blooms bring a lovely lilac shade to the luscious green flower beds.

A second wind for the roses

Following deadheading over the summer, the roses bloom again with a fantastic array of pinks and whites still seen through September and even into October. Look out for the English Miss roses around the fountain and the rosa Bonica blooms shaped into taller ‘lollipop’ trees in the corners.

Fabulous fungi at Emmetts Garden

Know your dusky puffball from your mealy bonnet? Ever heard of an elfin saddle? Autumn at Emmetts Garden and the surrounding Toys Hill countryside is a great time to immerse yourself in the mushroom kingdom, with an abundance of fungi popping up all over. Please look but don't touch - picking fungi is prohibited as it damages mushroom populations and harms the organisms they support.

Seasonal highlights

Get a taster of autumn at Emmetts Garden

Autumn colour in a Liquidambar Acalycina tree (on left hand side) at Emmetts Garden, Kent, in November. — Autumn colour at Emmetts Garden | © National Trust Images/David Sellman

'Burgundy Flush'

Native to Eastern Asia, the Liquidambar acalycina ‘Burgundy Flush’ turns red in spring and green in summer. In autumn the leaves turn back to a gorgeous translucent burgundy or red as they get ready to fall.

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Discover the different parts of Emmetts Garden

The Rose Garden

The Italianate rose garden, with its abundance of pink and white blooms, is the only formal part of the garden at Emmetts.

Look out for the pink Octavia Hill roses as you step down into the garden; named after a founding member of the National Trust, these were planted in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her passing.

Moving around the fountain you’ll discover a border bursting with English Miss roses. This border was recently replanted with the same varieties chosen for this space by the garden’s founder.

Just some of the other varieties of roses on show are the dainty rosa bonica and the fragrant rosa Katherine Zeimet.

The Rock Garden

One of the first major areas of the garden that you come to is the Rock Garden. This garden is home to a wonderful variety of alpines and English hardy species, alongside a lily pond. Winding paths allow you to explore this unique part of the garden.

The North Garden

Discover splashes of colour along the winding paths as you explore this garden. You won’t be able to miss the Wedding Cake tree, whose unusual branches grow in horizontal tiers and resemble the structure of a wedding cake.

The South Garden

This part of the garden is home to an impressive collection of hardy exotic trees and shrubs, including four handkerchief, or dove, trees. These are named for their white blooms, which have the appearance of fluttering dove wings or handkerchiefs hanging down from the branches. One of the handkerchief trees is an original specimen, dating back more than a hundred years.

The Discovery Cabin

Make your way through Emmetts Garden to the Discovery Cabin to pick up a potted history of this special place. Inside you’ll find quotes, memories and digital replicas of black and white photography from the garden’s early days.