Our Gardens
The gardens have been designed to give visitors an immersive experience, incorporating beautiful planting, colour, scent, sound and texture. The focus is, of course, on lavender – using some of the best varieties and, we hope, inspiring you to add a plant or two to your own garden. We also grow a range of herbs and other perennials which associate well with lavender and extend the season of interest in the garden.
The Diagonal and the Spiral Garden
Set on the side of the hill, these two designs demonstrate a range of Lavandula angustifolia (often called English lavender) varieties, with flowers ranging in colour from the traditional deep purple, through lilacs and pinks to white.
Purple Patch
Tucked away in a corner of the garden next to the sales area, the purple patch is filled with perennials which reflect the colours of lavender fields in bloom, together with a few contrasting white flowered plants.
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With flowers and foliage from early spring right through to the end of the season, it’s a good spot to look for planting design ideas.
Sensory Garden
A beautiful garden should engage all the senses.
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Our sensory garden combines a wide variety of plants that offer scent, texture, sound and flavour.
Bog Garden and Stream
We have made the most of the stream running through the garden and created a bog garden.
Embracing the idea of ‘right plant, right place’, the plants are moisture-loving and provide a bold design with bright dots of colour in spring and lush, leafy growth in summer.
Mediterranean Garden
At the top of the hill the soil is mostly dry and stony, a perfect spot to grow a beautiful range of drought and sun-loving plants.
But there are wetter patches too – where natural springs come close to the surface. These spots give us the opportunity to include some damp-loving perennials too.
Lavender Maze
One of the most popular features of our gardens. Planted with Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’, the twists, turns and dead ends of the maze are a challenge for visitors of all ages.
Can you find your way to the centre?
Wibbly Wobbly Way
Children (and some adults!) love to run along the wibbly wobbly way, up and down over the grassy undulations.
For those who take it at a slightly slower pace, the borders are planted in a mainly white palette, including cosmos for summer and asters to add to the theme in late summer and autumn. There are spring bulbs and some beautiful blue irises adding splashes of colour too.
Wildflower Meadow
On the slope below the Wibbly Wobbly Way we are developing a meadow area where wildflowers bloom from spring through to late summer.
We’re gradually reducing the fertility of the soil by cutting the grass and removing the clippings, then watching as the wildflowers begin to establish themselves.
Grass Cascade
On the far side of the meadow, a line of Stipa tenuissima tumbles down into a pool of grass.
When the wind blows gently, the grass moves and looks almost as though it’s flowing across the hillside.
Mint Collection
We grow over 40 varieties of mint, all propagated here on the farm.
This bed demonstrates some of the range of mints – try gently rubbing the leaves to release the scent and find your favourite.
Loggery and Bug Hotel
The loggery was built using timber from a fallen tree. Dead wood is a great habitat for wildlife, providing both food and shelter.
What you can’t see is the hidden space under the loggery which provides a safe place for hibernating amphibians, we think the frogs and toads that return to the pond each spring probably use this space.
The bug hotel is home to a range of invertebrates that use it for nesting and shelter. Take a moment to stand and watch the solitary bees buzzing around in late spring and early summer. There is also a hedgehog house, making the perfect place for these beautiful mammals to overwinter.
Willow Walk
We’re developing a walk-through archway of willows as part of our wildlife area.
Willows produce catkins in spring which are a great source of pollen and nectar for early flying bees and other pollinators.
Pond
With its spectacular views over the Vale of York, our circular pond was designed to reflect the big Yorkshire sky.
It’s home to frogs, toads and newts. If you are visiting in the spring, be sure to look out for tadpoles.
Vista
These lines of lavender lead the eye out to our magnificent view across the Vale of York.
The flowers from the plants are harvested in late summer and used to produce lavender oil.
Lavender Picture Frame
Our larger-than-life picture frame has been created using different varieties of lavender to depict a picture in three colours, surrounded by a frame that hangs on the side of the hill.
Crescent and Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre is the perfect place to pause for a while and enjoy the view, surrounded by lavender planted to form a crescent above.
These lavenders are harvested in late summer and processed to make the essential oil we use in some of the products sold in the shop.
Sam’s Grosso and Grass Pyramid
A planting of Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ which is one of the lavenders we are growing for oil. The pyramid is ‘built’ from ornamental grasses which grow to different heights.
‘Spirit of Yorkshire Sculptures’ and Grass Boundary
Our very own cricket match… Yorkshire v Lancashire, depicted in steel sculptures created by local craftsman James Morris. The boundary of our cricket pitch is marked by a planting of the lovely grass Stipa tenuissima ‘Pony Tails’.
