The Garden

Four original ‘sunken greenhouses’, south facing to make the most of the sunlight, are situated within the sheltered walls of the Kitchen Garden. Sinking the frames into the ground avoided fluctuation in temperature and minimised heat loss. Once heated for the cultivation of tropical fruits such as melons and pineapples, these are now used for propagating plants for the garden to ensure a fabulous show throughout the year.

Enclosed on all four sides, the Melon Yard provides a sheltered microclimate for many tender sub-tropical plants such as Primrose Jasmine Jasminum mesnyi; Pineapple Broom Cytisus battandierie; double-flowering pomegranate Punica granatum; Chusan palm Trachycarpus fortunei all treating visitors to splashes of fiery orange, red and yellow.

A bronze Ramsey stag stands proudly at the centre of the Kitchen Garden surrounded by old fashioned fruit trees and vegetable beds which supply the house with seasonal produce. Many of the borders change through the season from delicate winter snowdrops; cheery spring daffodils in spring to fluffy fragrant peonies in the summer. Keep your eyes peeled for Mr Potts too!

Leaving the Kitchen Garden visitors pass the delightful Heron Pool which takes you through to the Millennium Garden.

Designed by the late John Berkeley and garden designer Veronica Adams in 1999 to mark the new millennium, this part sub-tropical, part Italianate style garden provides colour through to late summer.

Visitors can pass through the pergolas entwined with Clematis ‘Madame Grange’ and C. alpina ‘Helsingborg’ , American Rose Acacia Robinia hispida ‘Macrophylla’, Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’.

The Rill Garden, with its contemporary water pools, is the perfect spot to relax and reflect under a wisteria clad arbour. Looking across visitors can see a traditional fountain with its gently burbling water, encircled by plants such as Hemerocallis and Cannas, Cordyline, Curcraea, Fatsia and Melianthus major.

Designed by Rose Berkeley and her sister Ellen Willmott the garden consist of four outdoor ‘rooms’ enclosed by yew hedges which in turn surround a central fountain. Originally, each bed was to represent a different botanical family but more freedom has now been given to the current planting including paeonias, daphnes, alliums, viburnums, magnolias in addition to two splendid Paper-bark maples. Considering the garden was the inspiration of Ellen Willmott, it is only right that it contains at least one plant named in her honour - Corylopsis willmottiae ‘Spring Purple’ which can still be seen today.

Laid out in the 19th century the Rose Lawn comprises of beds with a wide selection of roses. The lawn is overlooked by towering trees - some over 300 years old including a majestic cedar whose lop sided appearance is due to an encounter with a low flying American fighter plane. 

Peeking inside the imposing Victorian conservatory, still complete with its original 19th century coke-fired boiler, visitors can see plants such as Plumbago, Acacia, Hibbertia, and Bougainvillea. We hope to open this building in the future once essential conservation work has been carried out.

This area of the garden takes its name from a Mediterranean cork oak tree Quercus suber, which stands on the eastern edge of the lawn.

In Spain and Portugal cork oaks are widely cultivated for their bark, which is used to make corks for wine bottles. Spetchley’s specimen is one of the finest in Britain and clearly displays its thick cork bark.

Close by is the Root House. This delightful thatched summerhouse, constructed in the 1840’s from the roots, burrs and barks of several trees, is a rare example of rustic English garden architecture seldom seen in gardens today. It was designed as a place for relaxation and quiet contemplation and today still fulfils these objectives admirably.

As the path curves back away from the Garden Pool it passes beneath the outstretched branches of a magnificent Lucombe Oak Quercus x hispanica ‘Lucombeana’ and leads to a small raised bed of acid soil containing ericaceous plants such as rhododendrons, heathers and gorse. From this point a narrow grass walk can be glimpsed leading towards a marble statue of Apollo in the distance.

The attractive wrought-iron footbridge to your left leads towards the Long Walk.

One of the most architecturally pleasing trees is a splendid specimen of Young’s Weeping Birch Betula pendula ‘Youngii’ with its silver-white bark and graceful fine branches. 

In spring swathes of daffodils, many Spetchley’s very own Narcissus ‘Spetchley’, greet visitors and a collection of rowans Sorbus app. and crab apples Malus spp. burst into blossom later bearing brightly coloured fruits into late summer and autumn. In autumn the lake becomes a palette of rich reds, golds and yellows with Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Liquidamar styraciflua and Nysa sinensis putting on a show.

Crossing the pretty wrought-iron footbridge, all that remains of a moat which surrounded the original Tudor House, visitors head towards the current home of the Berkeley family. On the left of the path is a young North African Cedar Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, planted by the late John Berkeley in 2006 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Berkeley’s ownership of the park.

In spring a carpet of lilac-coloured Crocus tomasinianus blooms with yellow-flowering primroses and narcissi later to be replaced by rose-purple Martagon lilies Lilium martagon.

On warm sunny days the banks of the Garden Pool, where Sir Edward Elgar would often enjoy days fishing, are the perfect spot to sit at one of the many benches scattered at it’s edges and take in the far reaching views of the Malvern Hills and beyond. 

From shrubs and small trees to towering pines, this area has a different feel to the rest of gardens where visitors can soak up the rustling of the trees and birdsong echoing through the canopy above them. 

Rhododendrons and azaleas create a spring pallet of pinks and purples whilst cyclamen, scilla, primula and meconopsis emerge at their feet.

In early summer dogwoods Cornus spp take centre stage with their pure white to rose pink flowers only to be replaced by the pale porcelain blue flowers of the beautiful Asian Hydrangea aspera.