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Regarded as one of the finest gardens of late Victorian England, Spetchley was chosen as one of the first three to open to the public under the National Gardens Scheme in 1924.
Over eighty years on, its enormous collection of beautiful and unusual plants – some rarely seen outside the major botanical gardens – continues to delight those with an insatiable passion for flowers, and ensures that it never loses its appeal.
Formal, informal, herbaceous, woodland and exotic – it’s a ‘garden of gardens’ and home to many exquisite treasures, all flourishing within a lush framework of mature trees and shrubs.
We hope our visitors will share in the pleasure it gives us throughout the year.
Horse Pool
Fringed by magnolias and hydrangeas, and guarded on either side by specimens of the Judas tree at the water’s edge, the Horse Pool provided refreshment for the farm and carriage horses in years gone by.
Melon Yard
The main entrance to the garden and a veritable sun trap for tender and semi-hardy plants which bask in the warmth afforded by mellowed brick walls on three sides. Melons are no longer grown here, but the original beds and greenhouses remain. Crocus, narcissus and tulip provide the colour in spring, and in summer, the glorious pineapple-scented Cytisus battandieri, olives, abutilons and agapanthus give the feel of a hotter climate. Look out for the double-flowered pomegranate!
The West Border
Entered through a yew arch, and bursting with colour, the West Border is fragranced by the dainty Narcissus jonquilla and the racemes of white ribes-like flowers belonging to the mighty Osmaronia cerasiformis in spring. Roses, tree paeonies and camellias predominate, with climbing hydrangea, clematis and the true Virginia creeper clothing the walls.
The South Border
In keeping with Victorian tradition, paeonies, irises, mulleins and the Chinese gooseberry - all jostle for space here with clematis, vines, wisteria and climbing roses. In May, you can admire the striking white panicles of the seldom seen Xanthoceras sorbifolium and in Autumn, the primrose yellow leaves of the Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo biloba. A Bath stone alcove faces a pair of statues depicting Adam and Eve, dressed in seventeenth century clothes.
The Fountain Gardens
Inspired by Ellen Willmott and enclosed by clipped yew hedges, the Fountain Gardens consist of four gardens surrounding a central fountain. There are thirty-six beds, each originally devoted to a different botanical family, and now sumptuous with acers, butterfly magnolias and spruce, honey locust, tree paeonies and the threepenny-bit rose, Rosa farreri ‘Persetosa’
The Rose Lawn
Laid out by John Berkeley’s father, and comprising seventeen central beds, the Rose Lawn is surrounded by great old cedars, and is also home to a magnificent conservatory dominated by a fine cut-leaved beech. Enjoy the two foot long racemes of Wisteria floribunda 'Macrobetrys' in June, the rarely seen Berberis Montana and a hybrid vine called ‘Spetchley’, best in Autumn. To the West is all that remains of the moat that surrounded the original Tudor House.
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