the gardens

The gardens at Ragley occupy 10 hectares and surround the magnificent Palladian Hall, although the 400 acres of parkland were designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown during the 18th century, little is known about the gardens prior 1873, when Victorian garden designer, Robert Marnock (1800-1889) created a formal flower garden intended to show off plants discovered in the New World.

The bare bones of Marnock’s late 19th century garden remains in evidence today and has matured into a rich palette for nature with mature trees predominating throughout, producing a rich foil for new developments.

The management and maintenance of the gardens now aims to optimise habitat and food resources for insects, birds and small mammals. The result is a garden in which traditional horticultural features incorporate, and exist alongside, valuable wildlife habitat.

The success of this naturalistic approach demonstrates that it is possible to maintain the horticultural interest and aesthetic appeal of a garden, without compromising native flora and fauna or limiting bio diversity.

Below are the main features of the gardens at Ragley -
you can click on the 'show map' link at any time to see
an overview of where each one is located.

1 - the rose garden

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Robert Marnock, the renowned garden designer, originally created this formal area as a Victorian flower garden in 1873. However, following years of neglect in the early part of the 20th century, the 8th Marquess and Marchioness replanted it as a rose garden during the 1960s. In 2009 the Rose Garden was officially re launched following three years of redevelopment to create a more modern layout. The new design is based around diversity by taking away the majority of the grass and planting trees, shrubs and perennials to encourage insects.

2 - mixed border

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The mixed border offers colour, form and texture throughout spring, summer and early autumn. With the exception of some spring bulbs, the planting consists predominately of herbaceous perennials such as Aster, Hosta and Sedums interspersed with shrubs and climbers such as Philadelphus and Clematis.

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3 - the winter garden

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The first phase of planting the winter garden was undertaken in the winter of 2005/6 and the second phase during winter 2006/7.

The plants chosen for this area have been selected specifically for winter interest and include some unusual species. Many of the shrubs such as Cornus and Salix have coloured stems. Rubus Heuchera and Jasmine provide texture and Lonicera x purpussi “Winter Beauty”, and Sarccoca confusa add wonderful scent. More unusual species include Stachyrus preacox and the deciduous holly, Ilex verticilliata. The creative planting using birch in a circle radiating out gives the area a sense of perspective and drama. Planting design by Dale Goll of Golls Nursery.

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4 - the scott garden

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The Scott Garden was opened in 2004 by Douglas Scott who is great friend of the Hertford family. This area consists of three main features; the fountain Garden the magnolias and the ponds. The aesthetic appeal of these circular quadrant beds is a reflection of the rose garden lay out, but these beds are individually designed and planted each year by the gardeners at Ragley with the magnolias providing a beautiful, but fleeting display at the end of spring. The transformation of this part of the garden was also accompanied by the creation of several small ponds. In terms of attracting wildlife these ponds are perhaps the most important additions to the garden. Recent pond dipping activities performed by local school children indicates that a diverse range of pond life seems to be thriving. The area around the pond has been intentionally left to grow wild and with careful management should encourage a wide range of native species to establish as the area matures.

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5 - Spring Bulb Bank

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Early in the season the bank boasts a spectacular show of welcome colour. Even in the harsh month of January, thousands of snowdrops herald the approach of spring. The yellow blue and lilac hues of crocus, which supersede the snowdrops, meander lazily down the entire length of the bank. As the weather warms, daffodils burst forth giving a glorious golden display, which is followed by a wonderful spring meadow filled with native primroses, buttercups, pink campion, violas and clouds of cow parsley.

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6 - Fumpary

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The shade of the canopy and the high water demand of the mature trees which dominate this part of the garden make it a difficult area to develop and manage. However, the use of old tree stumps reclaimed from Ragley woodland not only provides an excellent habitat, but also creates a beautiful foil for woodland plants such as erythroniums, hellebores and ferns. This type of planting softens the harshness of the stumps to provide structure and texture through the summer months.

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7 - Meadow and Prairie

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Following the decision in 1999 to manage this area of regularly mown grass as a traditional meadow, this two and a half acre site has matured into a rich tapestry of native flora.

Management of the meadow aims to emulate traditional animal grazing patterns, weakening dominant grasses and encouraging other species to flourish. The ongoing evolution of the meadow has seen the range of wild flowers in this area diversify, with cowslips and fritilaries predominant in spring, and field scabious, Knapweed and ladies bedstraw abundant in summer.

The wild feel of the meadow is complimented by the adjoining prairie with its grasses and herbaceous producing a stunning display of molten colours, structure and texture especially on a late summer afternoon.

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