Autumn’s golden wonders
The ten best places to enjoy this stunning season in all its majestic glory
ENJOY a spectacular late display by visiting a garden famed for its autumn colour. From landscapes brimming with fiery foliage to plots with swathes of seasonal bulbs, here is my guide to ten of the best places to witness the wonders of autumn.
STONE LANE GARDENS DEVON
SET on a south-facing hill on the edge of Dartmoor, this five-acre woodland garden was started in the early 1970s by Kenneth and June Ashburner. It boasts 1,000 trees, including the National Collection of birches. Close to 70 different types can be found here, with foliage that turns shades of yellow and orange before falling. Open daily, 10am-6pm (stonelanegardens.com)
KNOLL GARDENS DORSET
THE brainchild of nurseryman and author Neil Lucas, Knoll is a fouracre plot at Wimborne that demonstrates the value of ornamental grasses. Miscanthus, molinia and pennisetum mingle with shrubs and late-flowering perennials in beds and borders, providing colour and structure. The grasses provide interest until late winter when everything is cut back. Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm (knollgardens.co.uk)
EXBURY GARDENS HAMPSHIRE
STARTED by banker Lionel de Rothschild in 1919, the 200-acre landscape on the banks of the River Beaulieu boasts 20 miles of pathway to explore. Nyssas, Japanese maples and red oaks t urn up the heat in autumn above flowering bulbs, such as amarines and cyclamen. And don’t miss the collection of tender Nerine sarniensis from South Africa that are displayed under cover. Open daily until November 3, 10am-5.30pm (exbury.co.uk)
SHEFFIELD PARK SUSSEX
A SERIES of lakes lie at the heart of this 120-acre landscape garden near Haywards Heath that boasts an impressive collection of autumn interest plants.
For sheer drama, you can’t beat the view towards the 18th Century mansion, over a lake framed by Japanese maples, Ginkgo biloba and swamp cypress. The garden was originally laid out by Capability Brown in the 18th Century. Open daily, 9.30am-5pm (nationaltrust.org.uk/Sheffield-parkand-garden)
BLUEBELL ARBORETUM AND NURSERY DERBYSHIRE
THE specialist nursery with a nineacre arboretum near Ashby de la Zouch was started in 1992 by the Vernon family, and it serves as an outdoor showroom, with twisting paths leading past liquidambers, birches and Japanese maples. Particularly memorable is a 15ft crab apple (Malus ‘Evereste’) in the car park – the branches are laden with orange-yellow fruit. Open Mon-Sat, 9am-4pm (bluebellnursery.com)
DAVID AUSTIN ROSE GARDENS SHROPSHIRE
MOST people head to these famous rose gardens in summer but it’s worth making a pilgrimage in autumn too for a show of jewel-like hips. Established in 1969, the twoacre garden contains more than 800 different varieties and is divided by walls, pergolas, water features and a network of paths. Among the highlights are Rosa pimpinellifolia, whose spherical black fruit are teamed with equally spectacular autumn foliage. Open daily, 9am– 5pm (davidaustinroses.co.uk)
HERGEST CROFT HEREFORDSHIRE
A 70-ACRE gem in the heart of the Welsh Marches, this garden has been developed by the Banks family since the late 19th Century. Impressive collections of birches, maples and z el covas provide autumn colour, while vantage points allow sweeping views of nearby hills. Since 1988, the garden has been managed by Lawrence Banks and his wife Elizabeth, a former president of the Royal Horticultural Society. Open daily until November 3, 12pm-5.30pm (hergest.co.uk)
BUTE PARK AND ARBORETUM CARDIFF
SPREAD across 138 acres of land in the shadow of Cardiff Castle, this urban gem was originally part of a garden created for the 3rd Marquee of Bute in the 19th Century, before becoming a public park in the mid-20th Century. The space contains thousands of trees, with birches, crab apples and maples among autumn highlights. Don’t miss the avenue of Ginkgo biloba, a conifer whose leaves turn yellow. Open daily, 7.30am-sunset (bute-park.com)
CRARAE GARDEN ARGYLL
BIRCHES, rowans, hazels and a host of native trees offer late interest at this 50-acre woodland garden built on a craggy hillside above Loch Fyne. Started by Lady Grace Campbell in 1912, it possesses the atmosphere of a Himalayan glen thanks to a fast-running burn that crashes over rocks and waterfalls. It is home to a collection of southern beech ( nothofagus), whose foliage provides superb seasonal tints. Open daily, 9.30am-4pm (nts.org. uk/visit/places/crarae-garden)
MEIKLEOUR BEECH HEDGE PERTH AND KINROSS
LOOMING above the A93 between Perth and Blairgowrie is the largest hedge in the world, a 100ft-high bulwark that was planted in 1745 by Robert Murray Nairne, who was killed the same year at the Battle of Culloden. Cut and measured every ten years, this Guinness World Record holder looks magnificent in autumn, when the green foliage turns shades of yellow, orange and copper. There is free parking in a lay-by at the southern end.