Britain's largest winter garden opens
16 November 2009
A new winter garden designed with the help of plantsman Roy Lancaster OBE has opened to the public at the Dunham Massey estate near Altrincham in Cheshire.
The winter garden is the largest of its kind in the UK, covering about seven acres and created on the site of a former pony paddock. It was developed following requests from visitors to keep the National Trust-owned gardens open throughout the year, instead of closing them in November.
Roy Lancaster worked closely with Dunham's head gardener Damian Harris and his team to select almost 700 species of plants for the garden, all chosen for winter interest from flowers, bark or leaves. They include a variety of seed-grown cyclamen and several cultivars of witch hazel (Hamamelis) specially selected by Kent National Collection holder Chris Lane.
Some 200,000 bulbs have also been planted in a series of meadows: the yellow meadow features crocus, narcissi and iris, while a blue meadow is planted with early spring bulbs such as Scilla and Chionodoxa. There is also a Snowdrop Walk, planted with more than 12,000 double and single Galanthus.
The Winter Garden at Dunham Massey is open daily from 11am-4pm or dusk. The garden is closed on Christmas Day and on 25 November.