British gardens to visit in winter: 12 of the most glorious gardens that come into their own at this time of year
The winter garden has a unique magic that is far removed from the flowery abundance of summer. It celebrates the soulfulness of the season via the clean lines of topiary and framed views, conifers dusted with snow, and reflective water features that catch the light. Soak up the season's spell with these, the UK's loveliest gardens to visit in winter.
The best British gardens to visit in winter
Andrew Montgomery1/12Tranquillity and myth at Rousham, Oxfordshire
This enchanting landscape garden is resplendent in the coldest months, thanks to wide sweeping vistas, an abundance of evergreens, and beautiful stonework. Peace reigns, since children are not permitted and the stillness of water dominates the scene. Created by the painter and architect William Kent in the 18th century, Rousham is designed to be otherworldly and to be explored: openings in the trees lead to paths and snaking rills that draw visitors towards glinting water and mythological statues, including Pan, Bacchus, and Venus, who overlooks a pond and murmuring cascades.
- theasis2/12
Champion trees and red squirrels at Ardkinglas, Argyll
Nestled amongst mountains and forest, on the shore of Loch Fyne, the 25-acre pinetum at Ardkinglas is tree-hugger's paradise. This magnificent 19th-century woodland garden is a joy at any time of year, but in the bleakest months, when its immense conifers – which include a silver fir with a 10-metre girth and a 64-metre-tall grand fir – sparkle with frost, it becomes a winter wonderland for visitors and for the red squirrels and pine martens that live here. The balsam scent of conifers hangs on the air and, by January, mingles with the liquorice tang of witch hazel.
Jason Ingram3/12A revamped winter garden at RHS Rosemoor, Devon
Unveiled in October 2025, the updated and extended Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor showcases the best of the season's planting. Landscape designer Jo Thompson has put in carpets of low-growing bulbs, shrubs, grasses, and herbaceous plants to catch the low winter light between birch and paperbark maple trees; dogwoods (part of the garden's National Collection) glow coral and red, and fragrant flowers perfume the air. The wider garden will feature over 100 sculptures between 15 November and 31 January 2026.
Andrew Montgomery4/12Topiary and mountain views at Plas Brondanw, Snowdonia
The design principle of 'borrowing the view' is perfected in the romantic 2.5-acre topiary garden of Plas Brondanw in Gwynedd, North Wales. Architect Clough Williams-Ellis, who was given the house in 1908, created vistas via clipped yew and box and stonework, which frame the mountains of Moel-ddu and Cnicht in the distance. Trees, ironwork, and statues add structure; pools and fountains reflect the winter sun; and a series of outdoor 'rooms' offer intimacy before the world opens up at the top of the folly tower, which gives a 360° view of the mountains and the sea.
Jonathan Buckley5/12Panoramic parkland and majestic water at Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Chatsworth's stunning 105-acre garden was doctored by Capability Brown to better blend into the surrounding 1,000 acres of parkland, and, in winter, the beautiful simplicity of his earthwork is striking. As well as the wider estate being superb for a walk, many of the garden's features look spectacular during the frosty months, including the yew maze, the pinetum, the tumbling
- Chris Radburn - PA Images/Getty Images6/12
Winter colour and scent at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The Botanic Garden in the heart of Cambridge is an urban oasis composed of different areas, including a charming Winter Garden. Dating back to 1979, it is packed with trees and shrubs that have colourful winter bark and stems (from ghost bramble to Japanese wineberry), plants that fill the air with scent (including viburnum and mahonia), and carpets of wildlife-friendly flowers: snowdrops, aconites, and winter heather. In the wider garden, there are fragrant conifers to enjoy in the Old Pinetum and the New Pinetum, as well as a Snowdrop Trail.
- Paul Panayiotou7/12
Tropical glasshouses and a treetop walk at Kew, London
From a distance, the iconic Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew appears to float upon the pond before it like a boat made of glass. Built in 1844, it was the biggest greenhouse of its kind, designed to resemble the upturned hull of a ship. Today, it's well worth a visit before its restoration in 2027. Visitors can peel off winter coats to enjoy the warmth that allows a wealth of lush tropical and subtropical plants to thrive. Other seasonal delights in Kew's 330 acres include two more huge glasshouses, a Treetop Walkway, and a new Winter Garden.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh8/12Historic trees and snowdrops at Dawyck Botanic Garden, Scottish Borders
Not far from Stobo Castle, this 65-acre arboretum and botanic garden contains one of the oldest tree collections in Scotland, including towering conifers planted in the 19th century. Hazels hung with catkins and white-barked birches add to Dawyck's winter charm, and carpets of snowdrops bloom beside the water of Scrape Burn in February.
Getty Images9/12Holy ruins and water at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, North Yorkshire.
The Cistercian ruin of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden beside it offer a welcome break from the Christmas rush. Proven to be the most calming part of nature, water is in abundance here, in the cascades, canal, geometric lakes, and river, which form the main features of this elegant Georgian landscape. There are also ancient trees and red, fallow, and sika herds to look out for in the deer park.
John Millar ©National Trust Images10/12A grand landscape and follies at Stowe, Buckinghamshire
Created at the start of the English landscape movement, Stowe's 250 acres is a careful balance of proportion and line and thus looks its best in winter. Designed to be a mythic vision by William Kent and 'improved nature' by Capability Brown, it is gardening on a supersized scale, with distant follies framed in vistas, glides of water marked by bridges and grottoes, and grassland that appears to roll into the sky.
- Design Pics / John Doornkamp11/12
Birch trees and views at Stone Lane Gardens, Dartmoor
This unassuming garden is magical in every season, including winter, when the bark of its umpteen birch trees takes centre stage, catching sunshine and moonshine. Home to two national tree collections, Stone Lane arboretum is a BGCI Botanic Garden encompassing 5 naturalistic acres of woodland, meadows, and water, with views of the surrounding moor.
- Rich Higgins12/12
A serene lake and yew maze at Hever Castle, Kent
Hever's gorgeous moated 13th-century castle, once home to Anne Boleyn, is enclosed by 125 acres of grounds that are impressive all year. In winter, the historic yew maze and topiary have striking graphic lines; the classical stonework and statuary of the Italian Garden are in glorious full view, without summer's growth; and the romantic loggia overlooking the 38-acre lake offers much-needed space and tranquillity during the hectic festive season.
