Bates Green Garden

About the garden

This naturalistic garden, based in a rural setting, provides a peaceful space to enjoy a variety of unusual plants. Designed and planted by Carolyn McCutchan, the garden offers a sensory experience with bulbs, grasses, herbaceous and woody plants that provide colour, texture and scent throughout the seasons. Covering seven acres, the garden includes an ornamental garden, a managed 5.5-acre wildflower meadow – which is a species-rich area ideal for admiring the views – and a 24-acre ancient oak and hornbeam wood. The garden is divided into three areas: the Front, the Middle and the Woodland garden.

The Front Garden is dominated by a Pinus sylvestris that towers over the winter borders, showcasing many cultivars of Galanthus and other spring bulbs, including winter aconites, Scilla and crocuses. The Middle Garden focuses on adapting planting combinations for the changing climate. Four colour-themed borders attract pollinators, while pergolas provide shaded seating among hornbeam and beech hedges. The Woodland Garden, inspired by a grand Quercus robur, is beautiful in all seasons. Various bulbs provide early colour and lush foliage creates shade in summer, while Cyclamen hederifolium blooms in autumn.