Secret gardens
SPRING is well underway and, as the days lengthen and the weather turns warmer, this is a great time to explore National Trust gardens near you. Take in the sights and scents of springtime gardens across the North East and Yorkshire. Your visit will help keep them blooming for many years to come.
Here are some of the best gardens to explore:
WALLINGTON Near Cambo, Northumberland
Once the home of the unconventional Trevelyan family, the house at Wallington is surrounded by gardens, woodland and farmland. Stroll past the primulas on the East Drive, a late spring highlight, and discover the walled garden hidden in the East Wood. The colours in the cut flower borders are starting to shine ready for a long spring and summer in bloom and the pretty spring perennials are flowering with allium and dog’s tooth violet.
SEATON DELAVAL HALL Seaton Sluice, Northumberland
The owners of Seaton Delaval Hall were flamboyant and their formal gardens are too. In the next few weeks white and pink rhododendrons will flower alongside the pale orange of the azaleas. In May, all eyes will be on the laburnum arch as it blooms with a haze of yellow flowers.
GIBSIDE Near Gateshead
This 18th-century landscape garden is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. In late April the Walled Garden will be full of apple blossom, with colours ranging from soft pink to vivid fuchsia.
ORMESBY HALL Redcar and Cleveland
A stone’s throw from the centre of Middlesbrough, Ormesby Hall, with its gardens and woodland, is a green oasis.
In May, wisteria frames the windows of the Georgian mansion with a purple haze. Flowering rhododendrons add dashes of white, purple and pink to the borders, with 3,000 alliums in the croquet borders providing late spring colour and a feast for the bees.
CROOK HALL GARDENS Durham
Tucked away on the edge of Durham city, these interlinked gardens, each with their own character and style, come to life in spring. Formal areas with neat lines and topiary hedges border traditional English cottage gardens, boasting a colourful medley of flowers, including primulas, violets and bluebells.
NUNNINGTON HALL Near York
This organic garden next to the River Rye is the perfect place to enjoy some peace and quiet, with hidden spots to discover, along with colourful flowers and flamboyant peacocks. The orchard meadows are full of life in late spring, as flowers bloom beneath the blossoming apple, pear and cherry trees. In the cutting garden, early veg will be sown in the plots and the first tender crops of rhubarb will appear.
BENINGBROUGH Near York
Explore the eight-acre formal garden at Beningbrough Hall, with its herbaceous borders, historic trees and walled garden. Over 90 varieties of fruit grow in the walled garden and during blossom season the space is filled with flowers, as pear and apple trees bloom in turn.
NOSTELL Near Wakefield
The gardens, lakes and woodland surrounding the Georgian house at Nostell are an ideal place to take in the sights, sounds and scents of spring. The herbaceous borders will be filling out, bluebells flowering and the scent of wild garlic will be in the air.
WENTWORTH CASTLE GARDENS Near Barnsley
Thomas Wentworth created the landscape at Wentworth which today is open for everyone to enjoy. Visit in May and you’ll be surrounded by showstoppers of pink, purple and cream as the rhododendrons come into their own.
EAST RIDDLESDEN HALL Keighley, West Yorkshire
The intimate gardens at the hall are a hidden gem and will be full of bright spring colours and bird song at this time of year.
Plan your visit at: nationaltrust.org.uk/north-east and nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire