The 12-acres of landscaped gardens of this historic stately home look stunning throughout the year. These Royal Gardens were once home to HRH Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt, who lived here in the 1920s.

The beech hedge enclosed long borders and the Lime Tree Walk (planted by Royalty in the Twenties) were her creation, and her vision 100 years on, is now mature. In this month by month guide, guests and wedding couples can see what the gardens will look like season by season.

A Year in the Garden

Please join us for a month-by-month tour of the wonderful royal gardens created by Princess Mary and beautifully restored by owners Clare and Mark Oglesby.

January

Though January can be cold and dark, a few snowdrops and winter aconites start to emerge from the snow and frost. The trees and shrubs give the garden plenty of winter structure, allowing for plenty of snowy or frosty photographs.

Gardens, snow, winter, Goldsborough Hall, North Yorkshire — Snow covers the Goldsborough Hall gardens

February

By mid-February the snowdrops are out in full and look magnificent. There are thousands in the woodlands, while the Snowdrop Walk has over 100 different and unusual varieties. The woodlands are also awash with yellow winter aconites, a few early daffodils and dusky pink and white hellebores. While, in the main urns and tubs the white crocuses start to emerge. The Hall opens the gardens for visitors to see the snowdrops most of the month.

snowdrops, winter, flowers, gardens, Goldsborough Hall — Thousands of snowdrops appear in the Woodland Garden

March

Spring arrives with a vengeance in March. The dusky pink and white hellebores are in flower along with the sharp blue muscari. All the daffodils in the woods and thousands of daffodils in the Lime Tree Walk come out during the course of the month. The individual trees in the Lime Avenue were planted by Royalty throughout the 1920s (look out for plaques on the trees to see which were planted by King George V and Queen Mary).

Daffodils, trees, gardens, Goldsborough Hall, North Yorkshire — A host of daffodils in the Lime Tree Walk

April

This month sees the emergence of the stunning blue scillas which come out under the Japanese cherry trees to the left of the house. These cherry trees themselves come into flower later this month and were given to Princess Mary by the Emperor of Japan as a wedding gift. The muscari and hellebores also looking good this month and by early to mid-April the daffodils in the Lime Tree Walk are at their absolute best.

Emperor of Japan, cherry trees, blossom, gardens, Goldsborough Hall — The Emperor of Japan’s cherry trees

May

The beech hedge which encloses the long borders starts to come out in early this month and is fully out by the second week of May. There are still some late daffodils in flower in the Lime Tree Walk, around the house and in troughs and urns.

Some roses start to flower, especially the red and salmon roses by the Drawing Room window and along the walls and the aliums dotted around the gardens. The fabulous pink and white peonies bloom as well as some flowers in the long borders and the rose borders. At the end of the month the troughs and urns are replanted with summer bedding.

spring gardens, alium, flowers, Goldsborough Hall — Aliums are in bloom in May

June

It’s finally summer and the long borders are starting to come into their own with a soft and subtle grey, blue and white tone with flashes of red lychnis. In flower are the white & cream foxgloves, spires of blue delphiniums and Johnson’s blue geraniums. More and more soft pink roses are appearing in the rose borders (very old varieties of Old China Blush, Little White Pet and Comte de Chambord).

rose, masquerade, yellow, pink, red, garden, Goldsborough Hall — Rose ‘masquerade’ in bloom on the Goldsborough Hall walls

July

By the start of this month the lavender Munstead surrounding the rose borders starts to flower and this continues to look fantastic well into the middle of the month. The long borders are starting to hot up with yellow helianthus and rudbeckia, scarlet monardas and red lynchis.

By mid-July the white everlasting sweet pea comes into flower along with more yellow single and double heleniums as well as the russet red of Moerheim Beauty. In the balustrade border, the Princess Mary rose ‘Yorkshire Princess’ comes into flower along with geraniums and euphorbia.

rose, yorkshire princess, euphorbia, balustrade, box, goldsborough hall gardens — Rose ‘Yorkshire Princess’ in the balustrade border

August

The riot of colour in the long borders continues all the way through this month with red hot pokers, scarlet salvias, yellow rudbeckia, day lilies, and annual rudbeckias adding to the existing mix.

Fantastically dahlias start to flower by mid-August in white, yellow, scarlet and red along with yellow and white snapdragons. The hot colours are tempered with the cool powder blue of clematis ‘davidiana’ at the top of the borders and the darker purple of clematis ‘jackmanii’ at the bottom. The main urns and pots look amazing.

urn, summer bedding, red petunias, yellow biden, Goldsborough Hall gardens — Urn in the Goldsborough gardens overflowing with summer bedding

September

The long borders still looking amazing throughout this month with spectacular dahlias, red hot pokers, yellow heleniums and rudbeckia and autumn helianthus. With good weather and a sunny September the roses in the rose border will also continue to look strong. Meanwhile in the veg garden the produce becomes plentiful for the chefs in the kitchen with squashes, courgettes and tomatoes. For more on the Kitchen Garden, see our blog.

veg, kitchen garden, courgettes, squash, tomatoes, Goldsborough Hall — An abundance of fresh produce from the kitchen garden

October

Though autumn is on our doorstep, the long borders still look good with dahlias, rudbeckias and helianthus. This month the summer bedding is replaced in the urns and troughs with daffodils and crocus topped with pansies and violas, ready for next spring. In the kitchen garden, the pumpkins have ripened.

November

If November is kindly and mild, the dahlias in the long borders will last until the first frosts. Some of the roses will also last until the end of the month. The big leaf clear up begins with all leaves being recycled into leaf bins dotted round the garden.

sheep, lime trees, Goldsborough gardens — Sheep in the Lime Tree Walk

December

Although the garden is quiet this month, many of the plants are kept for structure and height, perfect for frosty photographs. And who knows, there might even be a white Christmas to give the gardens a truly magical glow.

snow, gardens, hedges, trees, Goldsborough Hall.jpg — Main borders covered in snow

The Gardening Year