Stamford & Easton Walled Gardens

Stamford & Easton Walled Garden - Sweet Pea Season

 

Enjoy a morning in Stamford before spending the afternoon at Easton Walled Gardens.

 

From the heritage pastel to the heady fragrance, there’s a world of sweet peas to discover at Easton Walled Gardens.

In late June and throughout July, treat your senses to the visual delights of perfect blooms in stripes, bicolours, picotee, light pastels and deep velvet tones. Then take in the sweet smells that give the sweet pea its scientific name Lathyrus odoratus.

 

The Meadows: 

Covering just over two acres, the Meadows feature the Cedar Meadow (bursting with bulbs for spring colour), the Terraces and Rose Meadows (designed to come alive in summer), and the bugs-and-bird-friendly long grasses. Full of movement, sound, scent and colour, the meadows are an experience for all the senses. Look out for cowslips, wild marjoram, rare clovers and orchids.

 

The Woodland Walk:

Designed to make the most of dappled sunlight, the planting of the Woodland Walk includes hellebores, aquilegia, hyacinths, epimediums and, of course, the famous snowdrops.

 

The Velvet Border:

Bright, textural and playing with a Venetian colour palette, the Velvet Border brings some continental zing to the gardens. Silky, saturated-red tulips and clusters of purple comfrey in the spring give way to the antique gold of phlomis flowers mixing with the punchy magenta of lychnis coronaria come summer. And as the balmy weather that anchors the borders with lush foliage recedes, there’s still a season left to admire the autumnal richness of garnet and maroon dahlias.

 

The White Space Garden:

Heritage meets modernity in this contemporary space. Inspired by the work of Charles Jencks, the White Space Garden may seem fairly traditional at first glance, but within its structure lie subtly abstract twists. Allow details, like the little bank of primroses, to inspire you within your own outdoor space. In 2018, they added new steps through the hedge to the lawn and two new borders to ensure you feel entirely enveloped.

 

The Pickery and Alpine Troughs:

Across from the site of the old hall with its turf maze and cherry trees sits The Pickery: the cut flower garden. This is where our the famous sweet peas flourish. From fragrant to heritage, modern to dwarf, they’ve been experimenting with and growing 50 different varieties for 20 years. The queen of cut flowers, the sweet peas relish the cold valley setting in winter and bask in sunlit beds as the weather warms. By late summer, you’ll see dahlias jostle here with cosmos, zinnias, rudbeckias and salvias – creating a riot of impressionistic colour Monet would be proud of. The Pickery also plays home to the alpines. Showcased to perfection in spring, delicate petals of pretty alpines give way to autumn-flowering alliums and the pure white blooms of zephranthes candida – creating cross-season appeal.

 

The Cottage Garden:

Indulge your sense of romantic nostalgia with a potter around the charming cottage garden. More domestic in scale, this is the best spot to see how plants work together in a smaller, relaxed space. Stroll alongside the little raised beds that run between the greenhouses and old potting sheds. Stop to admire the dwarf cherry trees that line the path. Seek out the variegated lilac and Buddleia alternifolia that dominate the main bed. If our friends the squirrels don’t get them first, they fill this area with tulips in spring followed by annuals winding through strawberries and punctuated by pots of agapanthus. A tranquil water feature trickles from the wall and into an old stone trough, inviting you to stop, listen and daydream a while.

The Vegetable Garden:

Burgeoning beds lined with green oak sleepers make up the Vegetable Garden. Winter brings garlic, beans, rhubarb, asparagus and leeks. Summer promises contrasting textures as lettuces and courgettes contend with corn on the cob. Runner beans hang from arches and abundant strawberries have to be stopped from dashing across into neighbouring beds. Sneak a peek at the greenhouse to see ripening tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies and squashes.

 

The Long Borders and River Witham:

The gently flowing water that courses through the Gardens’ heart is the ideal spot to rest a moment and learn more about the work done to promote biodiversity. Fed by fresh springs, the Witham is the principal river of Lincolnshire. If you’re lucky, you might spot some wildlife: the native crayfish and trout who call this river home help to entice kingfishers and overwintering egrets.

Cross the elegant ornamental bridge to amble along the gravel path that runs beside mixed borders, brimming with scent, colour and texture. The refreshing colour scheme here is rooted in yellows and whites, which shine out across the valley, while the planting enhances the dreamy effect of the summer evening sun that streams through its foliage and flowers.

 

Rose Meadows and Orchards:

The old Tudor enclosure with its limestone walls and long yew tunnel carries a sense of history in every stone and branch. Through the long grass, you’ll find scattered roses supported by a structure crafted by a local blacksmith. Seek out old classics such as Rosa Adelaide D’Orleans and discover new cultivars like Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’. The meadows surrounding the beds overflow with camassias, vetches, grasses, yellow rattle and orchids.

Adventure above the Rose Meadow to find the fledgling orchard, where they’ve raised the apples from tiny scions of local trees. Marvel at hazelnuts, quinces, plums, pears and greengages fattening on the branches. With walls repaired, plans are afoot to train new varieties up the south-facing stones. In this carefully considered space, nothing happens in a hurry. 

 

Wednesday 26 June 2024

Pick ups: Route B2

 

Thursday 11 July 2024

Pick ups: Route A2

 

£38 per person

 

 

Price Includes:

Entrance into Easton Walled Gardens

Return coach fare

Easton Walled Gardens