The Ornamental Garden

A masterpiece of planting

Take a step through the 16th Century Venetian Gates into a world of calm, colour and tranquility. Take a seat and listen to the sound of the water and smell the scent of over 16,000 European plants. Designed as a series of ‘rooms’ each framed by carefully selected shrubs and trees.

At the centre of The Ornamental Garden is a pool from which spills into shallow rills, perfect for splashing and paddling. This pool is called the source pool and helps regulates The Grand Cascade. It is surrounded by a pergola supporting climbing roses, clematis and honeysuckles, which give off an amazing range of colour in the summer.

The central spaces are enclosed by espaliered Malus “Red Sentinel” (crab apple), while the low-growing Malus “Evereste” forms clipped hedges as a backdrop to the triangular borders. This was the first tree to be introduced here in the north border as part of the new design.

History of The Ornamental Garden

This walled space was the original kitchen garden for Alnwick Castle but became a larch seed orchard for when The Garden was taken over by Northumberland Estates Forestry Department. The Fourth Duke of Northumberland turned it into Italiante garden which it stayed that way for many years. During the World Wars it was then used as part of the Dig for Victory campaign before falling into disrepair. In 1996 The Duchess of Northumberland had the idea to revive The Garden and create what we have today.