The magic begins in just under two months! As soon as the main garden season concludes on 30th September, our team will begin the transformation of the grounds for the return of our spectacular Illuminated Garden Trail.
The trail opens on Friday 14th November and promises to be more spectacular than ever.
Event Dates:
November: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
December: Open daily until the final evening on Friday 19th December.
Highlights for 2025 Include:
The Vintage Carousel: A cherished favourite is back! You can pre-book your ride tickets when you purchase your admission.
Festive Flavours: We've added an extra food vendor along the trail.
Christmas Market: Discover unique gifts and crafts at our small Christmas market located in The Coach House.
S'mores: Gather around our fire pits and toast delicious s'mores with our available kits.
A Warm Treat: Enjoy a complimentary mulled wine, included with every adult ticket, midway through your walk.
Venture through a breathtaking trail of light and sound, featuring incredible new installations like the romantic Garden of Love, the whimsical Dance of 1000 Butterflies, and the glittering Avenue of Blossom Trees.
This year's trail is set to be a fantastic and immersive experience for all ages. Yes adults, you can ride the vintage carousel too!
Tickets are available now and can be purchased online via the button below.
Firstly, the Garden Team would like to extend warm congratulations to Brendan and Emily on the safe arrival of baby Leo. We can’t wait to hear all your baby news when you return in October!
Meanwhile, back in the garden (and beyond), the horticultural team has been hard at work. Chris has been busy clearing and diversifying the garden moat, with occasional help from our new HBGTP apprentice, Imogen, and volunteer Tom. Together, they’ve been ensuring the moat remains open and healthy by removing annual vegetation that would otherwise decompose and cause unpleasant odours across the Walled Garden.
This work also provides an opportunity to manage water levels, especially after such a dry summer, which has exposed large areas of mud. By gently shelving the moat bed, the team is improving drought resilience and creating niche habitats for species that thrive in shallow water and muddy margins. Clumps of trimmed, retained reeds offer valuable shelter and food sources, while careful ‘aerating weed’ management keeps the water oxygenated and filtered following disturbance — all while helping to suppress invasive aquatic plants.
Graham has been busy tidying up after the moat bank trimming carried out by our regular contractors, Carl and Alan, as well as completing the final hedge cuts and preparing for the great Yew dome trim — all well ahead of the upcoming light installations.
In Cathy’s absence, Christie has taken excellent care of the vegetable garden, supporting climbing produce, harvesting for the gift shop, and repairing the recent storm damage. Since Cathy’s return, the whole team has been hard at work weeding, deadheading, propagating tender perennials, and potting up hardy annuals ready for repositioning in spring.
Winter salad crops have now been planted out, and Larkspur has been sown outdoors to germinate and overwinter naturally, promising a vibrant display of colour next summer.
Out of the garden a great deal of pent-up emotion was resolved with the annual ‘bashing of the mats’ ready for turf damage limitation during the Illuminated Garden Trail.
On Saturday 27th Chris picked up his second award of the year.
This time it’s from the Professional Gardeners’ Guild for services to the Guild, in this instance articles written about the wildlife here in our very own gardens; a kind of diary that he has been writing for the Guild journal since 2007! Do congratulate him when you see him.