About the Gardens
Whether you’re looking for a garden with peace and tranquility, or fun and action you will find it all here at Trentham Gardens.
Discover The Gardens
The contemporary gardens have matured into some of the finest in Britain, described by James Alexander Sinclair in The Telegraph, as “The garden makeover of the decade”.
Award-winning
The imaginative and innovative revival of the famous Italian Gardens was led by renowned designer and multi-Chelsea gold-medal winner Tom Stuart-Smith. To the east of the Italian Gardens are the Rivers of Grass and the adjacent Floral Labyrinth. Both these schemes were designed by eminent Dutch plantsman, and Chelsea gold-medal winner, Piet Oudolf.
Garden of the Year
We are proud to have received many accolades including the Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism Gold Award, Countryfile Garden of The Year, Horticulture Week Custodian Awards and in 2015, 2016 and 2017 we were awarded a Gold Accolade by Visit England.
Trentham Lake
At the heart of Trentham Gardens is the spectacular, mile-long, Capability Brown-designed Trentham Lake. Studded with small islands the Lake is alive with the sights and sounds of a wonderful array of wildlife. The circular lakeside walk takes in views of the River Trent, ancient wildflower meadows and woodlands, through the cascading weir and along atmospheric nature trails. There is so much to explore and be inspired by, including the bold and dramatic naturalistic planting design; ‘modern meadows’ by Nigel Dunnett creator of the acclaimed plantings at the Olympic Park, London. Created for successional seasonal interest and environmental suitability.
The Italian Gardens
The Italian Garden layout is designed within the historic framework of Sir Charles Barry’s original Italianate Garden of the 19th Century.
The gardens have never stood still at Trentham, and in our approach to restoration it’s important to allow the garden to continue to move forward, not back. We commissioned renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medallist Tom Stuart-Smith, to revive The Italian Garden with one of the largest contemporary perennial plantings in Europe. In the Spring we add pots of colourful tulips followed by early summer colour from the wisteria, bearded iris and roses. The perennial displays are in their peak in late summer and autumn.
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Discover the Fairies
We all know that fairies live at the bottom of the garden, and Trentham Gardens is no exception! Take the fairy trail and keep your eyes peeled as you walk around our beautiful mile long lake, and through the woodland and gardens where the fairies live.
Discover the Fairies
Meet the Garden Designers
These great designers have helped to shape the Trentham Gardens that we love today.
Piet Oudolf
Piet is widely considered to be Europe’s leading plantsman. From his nursery in Holland, he breeds extraordinary plants that captivate the gardening world. Piet Oudolf
His worldwide work includes the Manhattan High Line Project. At Trentham he has designed our Rivers of Grass and Floral Labyrinth; the new gateway to the Garden.
Piet also designed the long borders which flank either side of Tom Stuart-Smith’s planting in the Italian Garden.
“Although inspired by Capability Brown, my planting plans are influenced by early Cubist paintings and the English artist Ben Nicolson.”
Tom Stuart-Smith
Tom's amazing designs have won him multiple gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, including a Trentham joint garden with Laurent Perrier in 2005.
The imaginative planting scheme for the Italian Garden has in excess of 100,000 choice perennials and bulbs.
"Trentham will retain the scale and magnificence it had in the 19th Century, but to it we've added diversity and the human element."
Nigel Dunnett
The newly introduced Annual and Perennial meadow schemes at Trentham Gardens are designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett. They have introduced a distinctly contemporary understory to Capability Brown’s newly revealed landscape. The main annual meadow – now in its third year – extends to 21,000 square metres, connecting Trentham Lake with Brown’s historic parkland beyond.
We believe Nigel’s plantings will create the longest sequence of linked naturalistic plantings anywhere in the UK.
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