Howick Hall Gardens
Informal & Natural
Howick Hall Gardens are primarily the work of Charles, 5th Earl Grey and his wife Mabel, and later their daughter Lady Mary Howick between 1920 and 2001. They established and maintained an informal and natural style of gardening. Which was first advocated by William Robinson in the late 19th Century. And completely replaced the more formal Victorian planting of their ancestors. As a result all that remains of the old garden are some of the mature trees; all else was swept away. Our basic policy now is to maintain that informal, natural style at Howick Hall Gardens.
The gardens are best known for their spring bulbs and the woodland garden. In addition there are also borders and rockery specialising in summer plants, and woodland walks through the arboretum. A wild bog garden around a pond is at its peak in high summer. Composed of plants grown from wild seed collecting expeditions (see Arboretum), it is proving very popular and attracts many favorable comments.
Features of Howick Hall Gardens
Silverwood
Howick Hall Gardens are perhaps best known for Silverwood, the woodland garden started by Lord Grey in 1930.
The Bog Garden
A very popular feature of Howick Hall Gardens. It lies north-west of the Hall and immediately west of the sawmill.
Borders & Rockery
These are on the south side of the Hall below the terrace and south of the Tea Room in the East Quadrant.
Bulbs & Trees
Around the Howick Hall Gardens
Bulbs
There are bulb displays throughout the year
The gardens are well known for it’s Spring bulbs, including snowdrops, daffodils and tulips. However the gardens bost a wide selection of bulb varieties all year round.
Trees
All round the garden are interesting trees
These are a selection of the trees to be seen, both in the garden and in the arboretum. All round the garden are interesting trees, particularly maples.
Walks Around Howick Hall Gardens
Woodland Walks
The Woodland Walks cover the west arboretum, Silver Wood and the main gardens around the house.
Long Walk
For the energetic, the Long Walk, which follows Howick Burn all the way down to the sea for about 1½ miles.
Snowdrop Walks
Visit our stunning Snowdrop Festival, held during February when the Gardens re-open after the Winter break.
Map of the Gardens and West Arboretum
Move your mouse over map to zoom in
The Head Gardeners Note Book
May in the Garden
The daffodils are going over as the month goes on; the tulips are in their prime, as are the fritillaries in the meadows. By the end, the camassias are emerging. The rhododendrons are at their best in the first half, with the azaleas and pieris in the second. The blue Himalayan poppies (meconopsis) are out with the primulas, and heucheras, and many others.
The borders are growing, but not in flower, and their gaps are filled during the month with plants from the nursery. The Bog Garden is growing with a few early plants coming into flower. The very striking rheum alexandrae is sending up its tall spikes with pale cream bracts. All the mountain ash, cherries and crab apples are in flower. Many plants will be in leaf in the arboretum, with others still emerging. The young cones on the conifers will appear, some a brilliant deep blue.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
June in the Garden
All the bulbs will be over in the long grass, but the wild flowers will be showing well in the meadows. The big alliums in the Clock Border will have taken over from the tulips, and the early border plants there will be in flower. Silverwood will be going over, although the meconopsis napaulensis (the tall other Himalayan poppy) will be coming out. There will be much new leaf growth on the rhododendrons which is very decorative.
The terrace border and rockery will be showing well. The giant catmint will be out below
the top terrace. The Bog Garden will be growing rapidly; the early primulas and the irises will be flowering as well as many other plants. Many of the Chinese deutzias will be in flower in the arboretum, as will other shrubs. Most plants will be in full leaf.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
July in the Garden
By the middle of the month we will be cutting all the long grass after the wild flowers have set their seed for the following year. In Silverwood, the clethra delavayi will be a striking sight in the second half. The Clock Border will be in full swing and the roses will be out. The lavender hedge on the bottom terrace will be flowering and the terrace borders will be in their prime, as will the rockery, particularly the roscoea. The Bog Garden will be in full blast; all the pale yellow primulas, the pale mauve astilbe, rodgersias, f ilipendula, cobra lilies (arisaema) will be out, with many others. All the Chinese philadelphus and roses in the arboretum will be flowering.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
August in the Garden
In Silverwood, the hydrangeas and eucryphias will be in flower, and also auratum lilies. The Clock Border will have romneya, sidalceas, physostegias, nepeta, and dahlias in flower. The other borders will still be colourful and the agapanthus all along the top terrace will be out. The cyclamen will be starting to flower in the rockery and elsewhere.
In the Bog Garden, the ligularias, astilbes, loosestrife, tiger lilies, Japanese anemones, salvias, lobelias will all be out. In the west arboretum all the hydrangeas will be in flower. Some of the maples will be setting seed.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
September in the Garden
Still lots to see, but quietening down for the autumn. All the cyclamen and colchicums will be out. Berries will be forming and starting to colour; watch all the sorbus,cotoneaster, berberis and rose hips in the arboretum. Towards the end of the month, the autumn colours are starting, particularly the yellow leaved ones.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
Autumn in the Garden
It’s autumn colour all over the garden and arboretum; the reds seem to depend more on good summers. All the berries are ripe on lots of shrubs and the birds take some quicker than others.
The birches are yellow, the cercidiphyllums are rose, the maples are red, the beeches are orange, and the vines are plum.
The Head Gardeners Note Book
February in the Garden
Snowdrops start to appear in their thousands all over the garden and arboretum and can last into March. Everything else is still asleep.
March in the Garden
In early March the Snowdrops are dying out. Crocuses start and last towards the end of the month. They are planted in the garden surrounding the Hall.
In the middle of the month the first daffodils may be showing; in the woodland garden,
scillas, hellebores and the earliest dogtooth violets maybe showing.
By the end of the month all the early daffodils will be up. The early rhododendrons will be flowering in Silverwood and sometimes the two huge magnolia campbellii have come into flower. Many of the woodland herbaceous plants will be showing but not yet in flower
The Head Gardeners Note Book
April in the Garden
All the daffodils will be out throughout the garden and the West Arboretum; they are all over the place, more white forms than yellow. The first tulips will appear in the long grass in late April. The lily tulips in the Clock Border will be in flower in mid to late April.
Lots of rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias will be out in Silverwood, as will all the dogtooth violets, lungworts, hellebores, primroses, euphorbias and many other herbaceous plants.
The Bog Garden, borders and rockery will still be quiet although many plants will be showing. In the second half, buds on many of the trees and shrubs in the arboretum will be breaking, some of which are fascinating. Early on, the Japanese alders will have their catkins. The cherries and crab apples are coming into flower near the end of the month.
The Head Gardeners Note Book