What to look out for  in the garden on your visit:

The Iris Garden has some very interesting informal plantings of Iris’s, Primula’s, Ligularia’s and Hosta’s. This is also a very good wildlife especially for dragon and damsel flies.

Along the Main Drive towards the Main House by the side of the Iris Garden is a superb flowering Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). A native to North America. Other specimens can be seen close to Top Pond in Home Wood and a variegated specimen at Lovers Lane Cross Roads.

A short walk from the Iris Garden to Witcher’s Wood will be rewarded by the spectacular Magnolia macrophylla . It has very large leaves up to two feet long and large white scented flowers.

It’s always worth a look at the spectacular and amazing Wiggly tree (Platanus orientalis) with its huge trunk and sprawling branches. Planted circa 1730 around the same time as  the enormous Lebanon Cedar (Cedrus libani) in the Home Wood Glade.

Close to Top Pond are a number of “Dogwoods” especially Cornus kousa in flower.

One of the gardens rare trees can be seen in the Winter Garden. The “Lotus Tree”  with pink flowers and evergreen shiny foliage.

A number of late flowering Rhododendrons can be seen throughout the gardens. Look out for the following  red flowering plants of Rh. ‘Intrepid’, Rh ‘Romany Chal’ and  Rh ‘Bellerophon’  all Exbury bred hybrids. The white flowering plants of Rh ‘Argosy’, Rh auriculatum and Rh diaprepes ‘Gargantua’ are scented.

The Herbaceous Border is full of interesting perennials including  Thalictrums, Delphiniums, Peonies, Hemerocallis, Cardoon’s (Cynara cardunculus), Kniphofia’s and many more.

In Yard Wood the tallest tree in the garden The American Grand Fir (Abies grandis) at 40m high can be seen in the American Garden.

The wildflower meadows are coming into their own with the native common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii). The grass areas by Jubilee cascades is a good place to see them.