Trentham Gardens and Adventure Play - Italian Gardens

The Italian Garden has been brought back to life with one of the countries largest contemporary perennial plantings by leading designer Tom-Stuart Smith. This area of the garden looks superb from May through to January. The Italian Gardens is made up of two areas – The Upper and Lower Flower Gardens.

The recasting of the Lower Flower Garden – the main terrace of Sir Charles Barry’s Italian Garden, is respectful of its historical importance, but also introduces more contemporary design ideas. Barry’s concept of a grand formal landscape has few equals in Britain, and this has been enhanced with a more creative planting scheme. We have now almost doubled the proportion of the garden that is planted and the style of planting changes from the historic layout of bright blocks of coloured bedding and shrubs to an iconic contemporary display of interweaving drifts of herbaceous perennials.

The Upper Flower Garden has also been restored based on the original layout of Sir Charles Barry’s design. The horticultural schemes it once contained were considered to be amongst the most innovative and horticulturally trend setting in the country and this year’s summer display of “Edible Flowers” will hopefully help to ensure that our approach to restoration is much more about bringing the garden back to life than recreating a fossilised museum piece.

You can also enjoy the new Viewing Platform which provides a glimpse of the views where only honoured guests of Trentham Hall may once have enjoyed.

 

Piet Oudolf's Long  Borders                                                 Flanking either side of the Italian Garden are two 120 metre long borders designed by Piet Oudolf.  The borders look at there best in July and August with a choice selection of plants including Salvias, Echinacea, Phlox and a large selection of ornamental grasses.  The borders compliment Tom Stuart-Smiths planting in the Italian Garden and the two work together harmoniously with their style of naturalistic planting.

 

 

David Austin's rose border                             Alongside Trellis walk which is the name for the original ironwork frame built in the 1890's, is the new David Austin Rose Border.  The border which is 100 metres long was designed by Michael Marriot and sponsored and supplied by David Austin Roses.  There are around 100 different English roses in the border, providing subtle tones of pink and white with fantastic fragrances.  The roses are complimented by a selection of annual and perennial planting.