Some of Our Favourite Winter Gardens to Visit

Everyone loves a Spring & Summer garden of course, but we think that there can be something rather lovely about visiting a stunning Winter garden, snuggled up in something warm, perhaps a hot chocolate along the way, and here we are suggesting some of our favourite ones in the South West.

Please also look at some of the gardens featured in our Top Five Most Beautiful Gardens in the South West  as some of these gardens also have tremendous Winter appeal.

All the gardens below are open throughout the Winter months, but please check opening hours before setting off.

Stone Lane Garden (The Mythic Garden)
Dartmoor
A spectacular 5 acre woodland and water garden on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, that enchants and inspires in every season, famous for  its National Collections of Birch and Alder trees.  Open every day year round, this RHS Partner Garden also has a permanent collection of sculptures creating focal points around the grounds throughout the year. This spectacular woodland garden enchants and inspires in every season, but none more so that in Winter, when the trees are so skeletal and really stand out, especially with snow on the ground.

Bonus visit...whilst at Stone Lane Gardens, you are only a very short way from the dramatic Castle Drogo, set high above the Teign Gorge on the edge of Dartmoor, Castle Drogo is a masterpiece of early 20th-century architecture and there are dramatic walks around it. The garden is the highest owned by the National Trust overlooking the Teign Valley and Dartmoor. 

Sir Harold Hiller Gardens
Hampshire
The award winning Sir Harold Hillier Gardens specialises in horticulture, conservation, education and recreation. Outstanding features include the splendour of the seasonal planting displays set in 180 acre. The Winter Garden has more than 650 plants grown for their winter beauty. The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is famous throughout the world for its phenomenal collection of woody plants, probably the biggest in Europe, and maybe the biggest in the world.

Knoll Gardens
Dorset
A great place to see and buy ornamental grasses. There is an inventive garden attached to a nursery. The collection of grasses is of note and is becoming nationally and internationally recognised. The show garden also features a gravel garden and meadow garden. Spectacular in autumn are the spindle trees or Euonymus with their fascinating brightly coloured fruits set off by wonderful fall colour. E. Red Cascade has a gently drooping habit with leaves that turn a gorgeous red.

NT Kingston Lacy
Dorset
If you're looking for a picture-perfect winter spot, look no further than Kingston Lacy's Winter Garden. The footbridge and twisty pathways from the Japanese garden lead through a tunnel of evergreen foliage for you to explore - and look out for the snowdrops in January & February.  For those that prefer indoor pleasures, Kingston Lacy has a fabulous art collection.

NT Killerton
Devon
As the leaves drop from the trees, the landscape at Killerton in Devon becomes increasingly dramatic. Pink cyclamen bloom in late winter, creating a beautiful bright carpet of flowers that stand out against the washed-out landscape. Take a walk around the grounds and marvel at the gothic chapels in their winter splendour. Whatever the season there is something spectacular in the garden at Killerton.

NT Knightshayes Court
Devon
The garden at Knightshayes is a spectacular sight during the spring and summer, but there’s no winter blues here during the colder months. The garden boasts beauty in a different way, with new buds and scents appearing. Let your nose lead you to shrubs you should make sure to pass on your walk around the garden. Daphne bears flowers with a strong but delicate and beautiful scent. You’ll smell it long before you see it, but it’s an evergreen shrub with dainty, pink flowers.  Knightshayes also has a stunning interior, designed by the renowned Victorian Architect William Burges, the painted bedrooms and furniture are a joy to see.

The Sitting Spiritually Garden is also open to visit throughout the Winter months, please just call first to check somwehere is there: 01297 443084