About the Gardens

The Italian Gardens and the Lakeside

At the heart of Trentham Gardens is the Italian Gardens and Trentham Lake set within a stunning backdrop of the wider estate.

The Italian Gardens offer perennial planting within a historic framework, while the lakeside walks unfold through meadows, woodland and water where you may see an array of wildlife.

Together along with everything else Trentham has to offer, they create a varied and inspiring landscape to explore, with something new to enjoy throughout the year.

A rich heritage of award-winning design

Trentham Gardens is built on a rich horticultural legacy dating back centuries, shaped by some of the most influential garden designers at their time.

Most recently, collaboration with internationally recognised figures including Tom Stuart-Smith, Professor Nigel Dunnett, Piet Oudolf and David Austin Roses, whose work combines historic structure with modern, contemporary and innovative planting. This approach has earned Trentham national awards and recognition as one of the finest gardens in Britain.

Focusing on the sustainable future

Building on our rich legacy we are now focussed on a sustainable future in the gardens with innovative planting schemes including The Next Chapter Project, working on collaboration with Tom Stuart-Smith, Lakeside Plantings with Professor Nigel Dunnett, and the new David Austin Rose Border.

Adventure Playground

Trentham Gardens is a great place for outdoor adventure play, where children can climb, slide, balance and explore in a natural setting.

From climbing and zip lines to sensory experiences like the Barefoot Walk, it’s a fun, hands-on way for children to play, explore and try new things together, including disc golf.

We’re dog friendly

Trentham Gardens is proud to be a dog-friendly destination, welcoming four-legged visitors to enjoy the gardens alongside their owners.

Dogs are welcome throughout the gardens and around the lakeside walks, providing the perfect setting for relaxed walks in every season. To help protect wildlife and planting, dogs must be kept on short 2-metre leads at all times.

Meet the Designers

These great designers have helped to shape the Trentham Gardens that we love today.

Tom Stuart-Smith

Tom Stuart-Smith is an international acclaimed landscape architect, whose work combines naturalism with modernity and built forms of romantic planting. He was the lead designer in the 2004 restoration of Trentham, and we are currently working with Tom on the Italian Gardens The Next Chapter Project where we are revisiting original plans and adapting the planting schemes with innovation, sustainability and climate resilience in mind.

Nigel Dunnett

Nigel Dunnett was Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield and was one of the world’s leading voices on innovative approaches to planting design.

He was a pioneer of new ecological and sustainable approaches to gardens, landscapes, and public spaces. His work revolved around the integration of ecology and horticulture to achieve low-input but high-impact landscapes that were dynamic, diverse, and tuned to nature. The meadow schemes around the Lakeside were designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett and introduced a distinctly contemporary understory to Capability Brown’s newly revealed landscape.

We worked closely with Nigel Dunnett to ensure that the Lakeside walk continued to develop, adding both horticultural and ecological interest, including the most recent Otters planting along the east lakeside. His influence remains an important part of the landscape today.

Piet Oudolf

Piet is widely considered to be one of Europe’s leading plantsmen. From his nursery in the Netherlands, he has bred extraordinary plants that have captivated the gardening world.

His internationally renowned work includes the Manhattan High Line, the border redesign at RHS Garden Wisley, and the Vitra Campus Garden in Germany. At Trentham, he designed the Rivers of Grass and Floral Labyrinth, which continue to provide a striking gateway to the garden.

Piet also designed the long borders in our Italian Garden, which flank either side of Tom Stuart-Smith’s work. Today, these borders still perform strongly and remain a great showcase of Piet’s design approach and plant compositions, using bold drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses.