The Next Chapter Project Update

In collaboration with Tom Stuart-Smith.

A bold new chapter for the Italian Garden

Working with Tom Stuart-Smith, we are undertaking this exciting new project. Over the next few years, the whole Italian Garden will be replanted with an emphasis on very stable, long life, colourful perennials. These plants will be better suited to the unpredictable climate – able to withstand dry summers and wet winters more effectively than the original planting.

Phase 1 progress

Since spring 2025, we’ve removed the old planting, excavated down 200mm to remove the top layer, filled the bed with a sand/grit mix, and left the area fallow to manage weeds before planting in October 2025. This same process will be repeated in Phases 2 and 3 over the coming years

12,000 plants arrive for the Italian Garden

On Monday 29 September, 12,000 plants were delivered to Trentham ready to start their new life in the Italian Garden. Using a new 2m grid system and working from Tom Stuart-Smith’s breathtaking design, each pot has been placed with care and precision on top of the beds. The vision is coming to life, and we can’t wait to start getting plants in the ground next week with the amazing support from Trentham Volunteers , Reaseheath College and Rodbaston College.

Tom Stuart-Smith’s highlights in the Upper Beds are Amsonia ‘Ernst Pagels’, Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’, Bergenia ‘Silberlicht’, Dianthus carthusianorum and Crambe maritima. And in the Lower Beds we have Vernonia lettermannii, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’, Euphorbia donii ‘Amjillasa’, Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’, Peonia ‘Jan Van Leeuwen’, and so many more.

Watch the plants arrive...

See the gardeners begin to unload and set out the plants into their new beds.