Waltham Place (as featured in BBC 2 and iPlayer's Monty Don's British Gardens) offers visitors a series of walled gardens, the oldest dating from the 17th century, as English landscape garden with splendid specimen trees planted in the early 19th century, and a huge double border enclosed by yes hedges. Larger trees and shrubs, some of great age, coexist with a natural planting system implemented in 2000 when the gardens were redesigned by the Dutch garden designer Henk Gerritsen.
The vision was to create a garden that the visitor would experience as a nature area, without the need for artificial inputs, fertilisers or pesticides, a garden free of the endless battle against weeds and insects. Over twenty years later the result is a garden of great beauty in all four seasons, described by some as cultivated wilderness. By maintaining wild plantings within firm boundaries, the gardeners care for the gardens with a light touch.
The booking link below is only accessible by Patrons with a password. Please contact the Friends Team (friends.administrator@obg.ox.ac.uk) if you have not received information about this.
