Sweet Pea Gardens Network
Where to enjoy sweet peas around the UK
Here’s a short guide to some of the venues where you can have a day out and enjoy a great display of sweet peas too!
This list is just a start and we are adding more gardens and details on a regular basis, so please check back for updates!
London
Fulham Palace
Fulham Palace House and Gardens is steeped in a long history and is a fascinating place to visit.
Our Sweet Peas are on display from May through to mid-July, forming a major feature of our walled garden during this time.
We also sell Sweet Pea posies from our popular market barrow, which always proves a hit with visitors.
Opening times Gardens are open daily with free admission
Botanic garden: dawn – 18.00
Walled garden: 10.15 – 15.45
Market barrow: Tuesday – Sunday 11.00 – 15.00
Website https://www.fulhampalace.org
Address Bishops Avenue Fulham, London SW6 6EA
Buckinghamshire
Eythrope Gardens
Tucked discreetly away from the grand surrounds of Waddesdon Manor, Eythrope Gardens is a historic walled garden, created in the late 1870s by the formidable Alice de Rothschild as her own private horticultural paradise. Today, Eythrope Gardens is cared for by nine skilled and knowledgeable gardeners. Inspired by the horticultural ambitions of Miss Alice, they continue her legacy through their planting schemes and displays throughout the year.
A working garden of this scale is rare to find in the 21st century and Eythrope remains a haven for traditional horticultural techniques that might otherwise be lost.
The garden is beautiful all year round but for the Lathyrus aficionados the best time to visit Eythrope is in July when you will see the colourful selection of sweet peas trained on hazel supports.
Latest events and bookings for this stunning garden are here. Spring tours run from February to April and Walled Garden tours from May to October.
Opening times Open Wednesday – Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays
Grounds open 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
House open 12pm – 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm)
House open from 11am weekends only
Website https://waddesdon.org.uk/
Address Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP18 0JH
West Sussex
West Dean Gardens
Nestled at the foot of the South Downs, West Dean Gardens in West Sussex is one of the greatest restored gardens open to the public today.
The gardens are home to an impressive collection of working Victorian Glasshouses, a 300 foot pergola, a spring garden with flint bridges and many more interesting things to see. For the last few years West Dean has hosted the NSPS Sweet Pea trials, where new varieties are evaluated.
The best time to visit to see Sweet Peas is from June to July.
Open most of the year Full details here
Website https://www.westdean.ac.uk
Address West Dean Gardens, West Dean, Chichester PO18 0RX
Lincolnshire
Easton Walled Gardens
At Easton Walled Gardens we grow around forty varieties of sweet pea each year, chosen for their scent, colour and form. They are displayed in two areas of the gardens, where visitors can enjoy them at their peak from late June to mid-July.
There is no need to pre-book, though tickets may be bought online in advance if preferred. After flowering, the plants are left to set seed, and seed collected from our own stock is later offered for sale in the garden's shop.
Opening times Open Wednesday – Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays, from February to December. Full details and booking here
Website https://www.visiteaston.co.uk
Address Easton Walled Gardens, Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG33 5AP
Rutland
Barnsdale Gardens
Geoff Hailton's gardens at Barnsdale were initially developed over 14 years on Gardeners’ World, but have been run by his son Nick since 1996.
Out of the 38 individual gardens and features we have in all different styles, some are originals from both Gardeners’ World, and the mini-series Geoff wrote and presented, while there are many others that have been created since.
It is a garden for every season, and nobody leaves – at any time of year – without at least one idea for their own garden.
We have recently turned over the Kitchen Garden to growing just sweet peas and Dahlias, with the sweet peas probably being at their best from June to August, while the Dahlias then continue flowering until they finish in late October/early November.
Opening times Open all year except Christmas period. Full details and booking here
Website https://barnsdalegardens.co.uk/
Address Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH
Cornwall
Bodmin Railway
Discover the excitement and nostalgia of steam travel with a journey back in time on Bodmin Railway, Cornwall’s only full-size railway still operated by steam locomotives.
Relax in style and enjoy a leisurely 13-mile round trip through beautiful Cornish countryside, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone age, as the era of a Cornish branch line in the 1950s reveals itself during the course of your journey.
Trains operate from Bodmin General, the principal station where free coach and car parking is available, to both Bodmin Parkway station – where connections can be made directly with main line railway services – and Boscarne Junction, which is situated directly adjacent to the Camel Trail recreational footpath and cycle way. Passenger train services operate throughout the year, and regularly from late March to early October.
Join us for a varied and interesting programme of special events and special trains, which are an important part of the Railway’s calendar. Just a 10-minute walk from the Town Centre, we are proud to be one of Cornwall’s Dog-Friendly attractions!
Opening times Open most of the year - full details and booking here
Website https://bodminrailway.co.uk
Address If using SatNav, please use the postcode PL31 1AG
The station is half a mile from the town centre, on the B3268 towards Lostwithiel, and well signposted from the town centre and all the main roads leading into the town.
Scottish Borders
Floors Castle
Situated in the Scottish Borders, Floors Castle has been home to the Dukes of Roxburgh for over 300 years.
The House and extensive grounds are accessible to the public but check for opening times.
The Victorian walled garden is full of beds borders and glasshouses with huge wigwams of Sweet Peas in the late summer months through to September, depending on the year.
Opening times Spring – Autumn - full details and booking here
Website https://www.floorscastle.com
Address Floors Castle, Kelso, Roxburghshire TD5 7SF
Northern Ireland
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
Explore Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, a grand Georgian estate and royal residence in Northern Ireland, just 20 minutes outside Belfast.
The Castle welcomes you to delve into the heart of British and Irish history where pivotal moments and diplomatic efforts have taken place. Set in 100 acres, the grounds are perfect for relaxed walks and family outings and you can enjoy the house and café too.
The garden planting included over 40 cultivars of Sweet Pea a sight to behold! Best viewed from June to July.
Opening times Open most of the year - full details and booking here
Website https://www.hrp.org.uk
Address Hillsborough, County Down, Northern Ireland BT26 6TY
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