Winter green
ENJOY A BRACING STROLL IN A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN AT A NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTY
VISITING a garden in winter can be very rewarding. You can find new perspectives with views opening up through trees that have shed their leaves, and you can be uplifted by a refreshing walk in the outdoors. There are bright winter flowers, invigorating scents, colourful stems and eye-catching shapes and views. Find a National Trust garden near you, from the many on offer across Yorkshire and the North East.
CRAGSIDE Rothbury, Northumberland
William Armstrong and his wife experimented with plants, trees and water on a dramatic scale here. The result is a fantasy mountain landscape that includes a Formal Garden, Rock Garden and Pinetum with Douglas Fir, Caucasian Fir, Noble Fir and Western Hemlock.
WALLINGTON near Cambo, Northumberland
The carpets of snowdrops in the woodlands are a February highlight. You’ll also find a few special varieties. There’s Sandersii, which has sulphur-yellow markings instead of green, and Flore Pleno with double the number of petals. The winter aconites are looking splendid too.
SEATON DELAVAL HALL Seaton Sluice, Northumberland
With the herbaceous growth cut back and the trees leafless at this time of year, it’s all about the views. From the formal lines of the hedges and the geometry of the Parterre, to the long, bare branches of the great weeping ash. By February, snowdrops carpet the woods, and bright yellow aconites peep out from the borders. Enjoy sweeping views north towards the Cheviot Hills.
GIBSIDE near Gateshead
This 18th-century garden is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, with valley views, woodland, Walled Garden, Palladian chapel, stable block, grand ruin and Column to Liberty towering above it all. Head off on a crisp walk around the estate to spot signs of spring, including a carpet of snowdrops at Ice House Dene and 10,000 white wood anemones.
CROOK HALL GARDENS Durham
Gone are the leaves, revealing the bark of the trees and their skeletonlike frames, and making the evergreen shrubs stand out. Highlights include the corkscrew hazel, and the bark of Euonymus alatus, winged spindle. The beautiful silver trunks of the birch, the berries of the ivy and holly, and the unusual foliage of the variegated holly Ilex aquifolium.
ORMESBY HALL Middlesbrough
In winter, the focus is on greens; from the dark holly to the lighter shades of laurels in the formal garden. Seed heads provide food for birds and architectural hollow stems are a safe haven for insects. Cobwebs and frost cling to these last standing plants and there’s also colour, with snowdrops, yellow winter aconites and winter jasmine. The vanilla scent of Himalayan sweet box, or Sarcococca hookeriana, fills the air.
FOUNTAINS ABBEY & STUDLEY ROYAL near Ripon, North Yorkshire
Explore ancient abbey ruins and an awe-inspiring water garden of mirror-like ponds, statues and follies at this World Heritage Site. Snowdrops are one of the first signs of new life, their nodding bright heads dancing on banks near water and in woodlands. Take a close look at the bare branched trees, their dramatic shapes, and observe the winter water reflections in Studley Royal Water Garden as the sun sets.
BENINGBROUGH HALL, GALLLERY & GARDENS near York, North Yorkshire
The start of the year is marked by bulbs emerging from their wintery slumber and you’ll find over 300,000 along the ha-ha walk overlooking the south parkland. Shapes and structure from the trees offer a strong framework for a winter walk. It’s a good time to see the trained espaliers or gnarly branches of mature trees, some 300 plus years old, and grapevines in the remaining glasshouse.
NUNNINGTON HALL near York, North Yorkshire
Visit in winter and find the hidden infrastructure of the garden. Plant stems create frosty shapes and there’s winter colour to be found, including Mahonia, Christmas box, hellebores, dogwood and rosehips plus snowdrops and winter aconites. Keep your eyes peeled for robins, peacocks, and squirrels rummaging around the leaves.
NOSTELL near Wakefield, West Yorkshire
The first colour in the gardens are the rosy-pink blooms of the winter cyclamen, then carpets of snowdrops draw in visitors from the end of January. It’s a picture-perfect and unmissable ‘wow’ moment. Joining the display, are the stunning yellow winter aconite in the woodland and the bright yellow blooms of the witch hazel trees. It’s also a good time to see Nostell’s working kitchen garden.
WENTWORTH CASTLE GARDENS near Barnsley, South Yorkshire
The Victorian era saw the addition of an impressive conservatory here, to grow unusual and exotic plants, one of the first places in the country to have electric lighting. In winter, there’s a magical quality, when the frost is on the ground with the sun setting behind Stainborough Castle. Discover the early flowers of hellebore and the bright colours of cyclamen or admire the snowdrops as they frame Lady Lucy’s Walk.
EAST RIDDLESDEN HALL Keighley, West Yorkshire
ENJOY the peace and quiet of this intimate garden. The dark stones of the hall contrast with the white frost on the formal lawns. The outlines of trees create a stark contrast against the landscape and there are still flowers to be found in the Wild Garden. Snowdrops signal winter is about to break its spell and that daffodils and spring will soon be here.
The carpets of snowdrops in the woodlands are a February highlight
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