You may also like<\/strong><\/p> See the new gardens on our bucket lists below.<\/p> Jump to gardens in:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p> The Exchange garden used to be a mass of brambles and rubble surrounding a boarded-up old library; it\u2019s now a beautifully revamped garden for the new community arts space there. Prioritising sustainability in the build, designer and Chelsea gold medal winner Sarah Price incorporated repurposed materials such as crushed aggregate from the renovation, clay from local roadworks and even plants from a pop-up garden. Read more in our full article<\/a>.<\/p> Opening as part of the National Garden Scheme<\/a>, the gardens at Kenfield House will open to the public for two days in May 2025. It\u2019s a 3.5 acre space designed back in 2012 by Marian Boswell, and features an orchard, spiral lawn and shady \u2018white garden\u2019, alongside flowering borders of shrubs and wildflowers.<\/p> You\u2019ll also find a new Alitex greenhouse on the former tennis courts, and two pergolas adorned with climbers.<\/p> Another option from the National Garden Scheme<\/a>, this space is open for just one Sunday in July this year. It\u2019s a woodland garden belonging to an Arts and Crafts house, and was designed and planted by Stefano Marinaz in February 2023. Take a wander and you\u2019ll discover two seating areas connected by a slate chip path, as well as a water feature and woodland planting.<\/p> The Natural History Museum revealed its newly reimagined five-acre garden in July 2024. The central London plot now features an Evolution Garden with plants including mosses and tree ferns to reflect the changing environment, and a Nature Discovery Garden, where scientists will monitor local wildlife to develop guidelines for nature conservation in cities.<\/p> The relocated pond is now home to frogs, newts, dragonflies and mandarin ducks, while you can find fascinating sculptures including a full-sized Diplodocus<\/em> wandering the grounds. Here are a few more great museums with gardens. <\/a><\/p> West Dean College\u2019s gardens already include Victorian glasshouses<\/a>, an orchard, arboretum and walled kitchen garden, but now there\u2019s a new area to explore; the dry meadow. A place to experiment with resilient drought- and flood-tolerant plants<\/a>, it includes 2,000 perennials grown from seed and planted in recycled concrete mulch. Round off your visit with a stop at the restaurant and gift shop.\u00a0<\/p> The new Four Seasons Garden at The Newt <\/a>opened in spring 2024 and is made up of four separate spaces, designed to flourish in turn. Think spring bulbs and cherry blossom, summer climbers and autumn colours. There\u2019s also a \u2018newt pond\u2019 to discover. Pop to the Farmyard or Beehive caf\u00e9 for refreshments during your trip.\u00a0<\/p> Originally intended to host a swimming pond, this area of the much-loved Wildside<\/a> has become a peaceful tribute to Ros Wiley, who died in 2019 after 15 years developing the gardens with her husband Keith. He has designed a space supporting wildlife, incorporating flowing water and the seasonal colours Ros enjoyed painting.\u00a0<\/p> In April 2025, Bowood House is opening up its Walled Garden for the first time. While it\u2019s previously been a private space for Lord Lansdowne, its borders are now being updated with pale-coloured blooms inspired by the house’s interior to contrast with a bold red, orange and blue scheme.<\/p> There\u2019s also a new sensory garden in the works, set to feature scented flowers, corkscrew stems and eye-catching colours.<\/p> The gardens at Caisson House have been lovingly restored by Phil and Amanda Honey, who moved into the Grade-II-listed building in 2010. Today, the landscape is one of the hottest new gardens to visit in the west country, so if you missed the grand opening last summer, be sure to pay a visit in 2025 – or book a spot on one of the sustainable workshops there.<\/p> Lasborough Park, built around 1800, has 12 acres of land around it, including herbaceous borders, a parterre and a walled garden, as well as woodland areas. Over the past eight years, it\u2019s been reimagined by the current owner and the legendary plant designer Tom Stuart-Smith, and for one day in July, you can book a two-hour guided tour by the head gardener Brian Corr.\u00a0<\/p> There are three lovely gardens to explore this June in the hamlet of Christmas Common in Oxfordshire. At Priors Grove Cottage, you\u2019ll find a half-acre plot with shrubs and herbaceous plants, as well as a formal lily pond, a wildlife pond home to Koi Carp, and a waterfall.\u00a0<\/p> The slightly larger Meadow Cottage features a wildflower garden, fruit trees and a pond, as well as a treehouse for children to explore. At The Old Church Hall, there\u2019s a more relaxed and informal feel, with self-seeding plants and colourful herbaceous borders along the mown lawn path.<\/p> If you\u2019re based in the East of England, consider a trip to Wolsey Farmhouse in Suffolk. This family home has an orchard, walled garden and wildlife pond, and since 2021, the owners have added a brand new wildflower meadow and prairie garden, designed by Sue Townsend.\u00a0<\/p> Not only did Auckland Gardens open its restored Wilderness Garden and Faith Garden alongside a new Victorian-inspired glasshouse in spring 2024; it\u2019s now gearing up for the big reveal of its centrepiece, the Great Garden, in 2025.<\/p> All these gardens are part of the 10 acres of green space surrounding Auckland Castle in County Durham, which also includes a bowling green hosting summer events, and a walled garden for growing fruit and veg served up in the cafe. Stroll along the North Terrace for views of the nearby 150-acre deer park.\u00a0<\/p> Sitting alongside Sheffield Art Works (SAW), this urban community garden is a shared space designed to promote self-sufficiency in growing fruit and veg. Step inside this June and you\u2019ll discover a thriving veg garden, wildflower and fruit tree areas and a mown labyrinth, as well as installations including a rotating art poster gallery, pergola and much-admired chair made from a repurposed bathtub.\u00a0<\/p> As part of a wider scheme to update many elements of the grounds at Raby Castle, Luciano Giubbilei<\/a> has redesigned its 18th century walled garden alongside Lady Barnard. Visit from March 2025 and you\u2019ll be able to explore the five-acre space, which incorporates the much-loved yew hedges and Raby fig already in situ. Don\u2019t miss the Vinery Caf\u00e9 Restaurant and seasonal markets at the Dutch Barn when you visit.<\/p> The National Trust\u2019s Baroque mansion, Beningbrough Hall has a new Mediterranean<\/a>-style garden designed by Andy Sturgeon<\/a>. Expect to see thousands of plants chosen to boost diversity and cope with climate extremes, as well as low walls crafted from local York stone. Andy has also incorporated water bowls filled with miniature lilies.\u00a0<\/p> When Mayfield Park opened in September 2022, it was central Manchester\u2019s first newly built park in a century. Today, the 6.5-acre space is filled with 142 trees and 120,000 plants, arranged to evoke ink splashes in a nod to the industrial area\u2019s old dye works. The scheme also reuses abandoned materials, such as factory bricks in retaining walls and a fire escape as a walkway across a bed. Find out more in our full article<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p> If you\u2019re near Manchester, it\u2019s worth making a trip to the free sky garden on the Victorian-era Grade II-listed Castlefield Viaduct. The National Trust opened it as a linear park in 2022, and it\u2019s now set to receive Tom Massey<\/a> and Je Ahn\u2019s relocated, gold-medal-winning WaterAid Garden from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024<\/a>, featuring huge steel funnels designed to harvest and filter rainwater and provide shade.\u00a0<\/p>
The best new gardens to explore this year<\/h2>
South East England<\/h3>
The Exchange garden, London<\/h4>
Kenfield House, Kent<\/h4>
![\"Marian](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Marian-Boswall.jpg\")
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29 Heathfield Road, London<\/h4>
![\"Alister](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Alister-Thorpe-Large.jpeg\")
Natural History Museum, London\u00a0<\/h4>
![\"Urban](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Evolution-Garden-9-The-Trustees-of-the-Natural-History-Museum-London-Medium.jpeg\")
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South of England<\/h3>
West Dean Dry Meadow, West Sussex<\/h4>
![\"West](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Trevor-Sims-Medium-edited.jpeg\")
South West England<\/h3>
The Newt\u2019s Four Seasons Garden, Somerset<\/h4>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/The-Newt-Large.jpeg\")
Wildside Tribute Garden, Devon<\/h4>
![\"Wildside](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/DSC_0051-scaled.jpg\")
Bowood House Walled Garden, Wiltshire<\/h4>
![\"Herbaceous](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Anna-Stowe-4-Large.jpeg\")
Caisson House, Somerset<\/h4>
![\"Caisson](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/JI_0523_CaissonHouse_030.jpg\")
Lasborough Park, Gloucestershire<\/h4>
![\"Lasborough](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/i-LTCWdhr-X3.jpg\")
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Christmas Common Gardens, Oxfordshire<\/h4>
![\"Christmas](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/23-089-Berry-Andrew-pic2-edited.jpg\")
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East of England\u00a0<\/h3>
Wolsey Farmhouse, Suffolk<\/h4>
![\"Wolsey](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/47480-03-edited.jpg\")
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North East England<\/h3>
Auckland gardens<\/h4>
![\"Upper](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/AUCKLAND-PROJECT-AUCKLAND-CASTLE-WALLED-GARDEN-OPENING_23-05-24_DJW_081-scaled.jpg\")
Shieldfield Art Works, Tyne and Wear<\/h4>
![\"Sheffield](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/i-dHJRNcq-X4.jpg\")
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Raby Castle, County Durham\u00a0<\/h4>
![\"Raby](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/Jason-Ingram-2-Large.jpeg\")
North of England\u00a0<\/h3>
Beningbrough Hall, Yorkshire<\/h4>
![\"Beningbrough](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/The-new-Mediterranean-Garden-at-Beningbrough_c_National-Trust_A-Chappel_Ross-32-scaled.jpg\")
North West England<\/h3>
Mayfield Park, Manchester\u00a0<\/h4>
![\"Depot](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/12.-Mayfield-Park.-Image-by-Richard-Bloom.jpg.jpg\")
Castlefield Viaduct, Manchester<\/h4>
![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/National-Trust-Images-Paul-Harris-Large.jpeg\")