5 Gardens In Buckinghamshire

 

A lush county with some of the finest green spaces in England, there are many gardens to visit in Buckinghamshire. Wind your way through flower-filled formal displays, pause in pretty orchards and be inspired by well-stocked kitchen gardens. Wander wildflower meadows and sit for a while by gurgling fountains at these locations, all of which have earned a place in our list of the 5 best gardens to visit in Buckinghamshire.

Chenies Manor House

Chenies Manor is a Tudor house with five acres of gardens, including a water garden, a physic garden, kitchen garden, topiary displays and extensive herbaceous borders. There are two mazes to explore here too, including one that was designed as part of a newspaper competition in the early 1990s. 

In spring, Chenies House welcomes visitors to admire their tulip displays, while in summer the show gardens are bursting with dahlias, salvias, cosmos and many more annuals.

Planning a camping trip? Take a look at our full list of campsites in Buckinghamshire.

Waddesdon Manor

Begun in the 1880s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, the château and estate at Waddesdon Manor were bequeathed to his unmarried sister Lady Alice upon his death in 1896. The gardens here sweep down from the house’s Fountain Terrace, with manicured lawns leading the eye to views over distant countryside framed by flowering horse chestnuts that are a blaze of pink and white in spring. The formal parterre is planted with 20,000 bedding plants that change with the seasons. Appreciate the varied sights and scents as you wander among rose gardens, the rock garden, a water garden, a wildflower valley as well as trails through both exotic and native trees.

The Lyde Garden

Something a little more secret, sunken and perhaps sacred is the Lyde Garden, not far from Aylesbury. The garden here was extensively developed from the 1950s by the late Lord Carrington, once Foreign Secretary in the government of Margaret Thatcher. 

The gardens are next to the 12th-century Holy Trinity Church in the village of Bledlow opposite its manor house. There is a kitchen garden, a water garden, parterres and sculptures in this green hidden gem. The east side of the churchyard leading from the gardens overlooks a deep gully, where water from eight springs emerges on the site of a former holy well. The surrounding area has been developed with walkways, bridges and a colonnade overlooking the sunken garden. 

Go camping at these campsites with availability near Aylesbury.

Hughenden Manor Garden

Hughenden Manor was the home of British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. While her husband was busy in parliament, Disraeli’s wife Mary Anne created much of the gardens at their country retreat. The Victorian landscape garden has been restored by the National Trust in recent decades.

The south-facing walled garden is quite unique, as heat rises up to create a warmer climate, with a ‘frost gate’ at the bottom where cold air can escape. The orchard in the South Garden has been recreated to appear how it would have been in Disraeli’s day, with dozens of varieties of apple trees and several sorts of pear. The grounds of Hughenden are set in a wooded valley crossed by a chalk stream, which eventually reaches the river Wye at High Wycombe. Plenty of paths lead from the pleasure grounds to this rare wildlife habitat.

Need somewhere else to stretch your legs? These 7 Buckinghamshire walks should sort you with some inspiration.

Cliveden Gardens

Cliveden is a National Trust estate with 80 acres of formal gardens, parkland and ancient woodland to explore. The back of the Victorian manor house looks out over the dramatic main parterre, with views for miles over the River Thames. There is also a Japanese garden here that was laid out by the 1st Viscount Astor in the 1890s, as well as a rose garden with 900 fragrant red, orange and yellow blooms. The gardens wind their way through herbaceous borders, yew pyramids, flowering cherries and wysterias that lead to a large lake where ghost carp glide. Cliveden’s Long Garden is quite a sight, with narrow borders that stretch past statues and impressive topiary features.

As well as gardens, Buckinghamshire has plenty of other attractions for all tastes and budgets. Find out more with our list of the best things to do in Buckinghamshire.

There are lots more green spaces, country parks and riverside landscapes to explore in the county, discover the best parks in Buckinghamshire.