The garden at Nunnington Hall

Visitors and the south front of the house at Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire — Enjoy exploring Nunnington's garden and grounds this autumn | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

The garden at Nunnington Hall is the perfect place to enjoy some peace and quiet. Peaceful hidden spots, colourful peacocks and colourful flowers offer a great day out.

The garden in autumn

As the days get shorter and the temperatures starts cooling, we enter the most atmospheric season of the year.

The vines on the wall at Nunnington Hall start turning from green to orange and all shades between. The Black Walnut and the Liquidambar by the footbridge welcome our visitors with their bright colours of yellow and bright red, as they shed their leaves and leave a carpet of autumn colour on the lawn by the river.

Seed-heads are left on the herbaceous plants to keep providing height and structure in the garden. As the season progresses these seed heads will be covered with morning dew and sparkling cobwebs, as well as providing seeds for birds and habitat for insects.

Now the orchard meadow grass has been cut, the fruits become the stars of the show. Varieties of apples, such as Yorkshire Beauty, Yorkshire Cockpit, Golden Pippin and Beauty of Kent hang down on fruit laden branches. The mistletoe on the apple trees starts to produce its berries which will continue through the autumn and into winter.

The last flowering plants of the year continue to provide some seasonal interest. Nerines and Cyclamen flower throughout autumn and Calendula, Nasturtium and Dahlias will continue until the first frosts.

Apple tree in the garden at Nunnington Hall | © National Trust

Redesigning the Iris Garden

A new project is underway at Nunnington Hall to reimagine the Iris Garden, one of the few historical gardens remaining at the property

To discover more, visit the dedicated web page on the National Trust website and keep an eye on progress.

Iris Garden garden design concept visual — Development of the Iris Garden is an exciting new project at Nunnington. | © Kristina Clode

Living organically

The garden has been managed fully organically since 2002, reviving traditional horticultural methods while also embracing modern techniques and technology. You can see much of this work in practice as you explore the garden. This includes such things as a four-bay composting system, a wormery, fruit cages and an organic vegetable patch.

Each year sheep fleece is packed around the base of young fruit trees which acts as an organic mulch. Not only does it suppress the weed growth and help the soil to retain moisture, but slowly releases nutrients directly to the tree roots as the fleece decays. Additionally, the birds, mice and bumblebees enjoy the opportunity of collecting luxurious bedding for their nests.

Relax by the river

The garden sits alongside the River Rye which plays host to much wildlife. Spend a while by the river and you may just catch a glimpse of brown trout, otters, kingfishers and swans.