_Best gardens to visit in Suffolk

Wimbledon, cricket and a stroll around a country garden; summer just wouldn’t be the same without them. And so, we have compiled a list of Suffolk gardens for you to visit this summer. Or even Spring and Autumn!

Not all of them are in the countryside – some are peaceful oases in busy towns – but all are lovingly tended and relaxing, even inspiring, to walk around. We invite you to open the garden gate and step inside…

Ickworth House & Gardens, Horringer

Ickworth House offers a slice of classical Italy in Suffolk: its neoclassical rotunda houses treasures collected from tours around 18th century Europe, while its Italianate gardens are the earliest in England.

Set in 1800 acres of parkland, highlights include rolling landscapes, a magical stumpery and a seasonal meadow whose flowers change naturally depending on which month you visit.

There's even a hotel to stay in.

Christchurch Park, Ipswich

Christchurch Park in Ipswich is 70 acres of rolling lawns and woodland, with a botanical garden of beautiful trees that’s home to over 100 species of bird.

At the park’s centre, next to a rippling pond, is Christchurch Mansion: a museum and art gallery that holds a large collection of works by artists John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough.

Christchurch Park is free to enter and open all year round, so if you don’t get a chance to visit this summer, fear not: it’s just as magical on a cold, frosty day in winter.

Helmingham Hall, Helmingham

Much admired, the Grade I listed gardens at Helmingham Hall, not too far from historic Framlingham, are a joy to visit, not least because it won the garden of the year award back in 2017. Designed and maintained by award-winning garden designer and owner of the hall, Lady Xa Tollemache, they include an elegant parterre overlooking the moat and hall; a knot garden; a fragrant rose garden; a walled vegetable garden; orchards; and walkways with the most gorgeous, seasonal borders.

Benches are dotted about the gardens, inviting the visitor to linger and soak up the peace and beauty of the place. There’s a cafe and shop on site and regular events throughout the year.

Melford Hall, Long Melford

Another spectacular Suffolk estate is National Trust Melford Hall in Long Melford. Home to the Hyde Parker family, this historic hall was frequented by Beatrix Potter, a cousin and a regular visitor. She spent many a summer’s day wandering the grounds and dreaming up stories about the animals that lived there.

Its landscaped gardens are a perfect place to play a spot of croquet and watch some summer theatre; explore the wildlife-friendly woodland or take a walk in the surrounding countryside.

Kentwell Hall, Long Melford

At first glance, you might expect the gardens of this mansion to be as traditional as its Tudor façade. However, among the gardens of Kentwell Hall in the village of Long Melford, you’re likely to find anything from quirky sculptures to a model galleon. And if you happen to visit during one of their famous medieval recreation days, you will travel back in time and meet people going about their business, cooking, gardening and gossiping, Tudor-style.

There are seasonal walks in the spring when the woodlands on the Kentwell estate look particularly vibrant. Look out for the Celebration of Poppies in the Walled Garden. The hall and gardens are open on various days throughout the year, hosting many special events. One sight not to be missed is the ancient Yew trees with a modern hedge of ‘Pied Piper’ topiary.

The Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds

The Abbey Gardens in the heart of Bury St Edmunds is the perfect spot for enjoying peace and quiet whilst watching the world go by. The award-winning 14-acre park is on the site of a former Benedictine Abbey, the Abbey of St Edmund, once a powerhouse of medieval England. Free to wander, there is much to explore here: abbey ruins, sculptures, hidden garden ‘rooms’ and many quiet nooks and shady corners to picnic, read a book or sit in contemplation. Its eye-catching displays has earned its place as one of the region’s leading gardens to see and attracts an international audience.

RSPB Wildlife Garden, Flatford

Nestled in the very heart of Constable Country in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the RSPB Wildlife Garden is a buzzing haven for wildlife. It’s designed to show how we can all grow gardens that will appeal to bees, birds and other wildlife and look beautiful at the same time.

The garden is free to enter and RSPB volunteers are on hand to answer questions about the different shrubs and flowers (and bee houses!). Leave enough time to walk up the lane to see Willy Lott’s House and Flatford Mill, where artist John Constable painted one of his most famous pieces, The Hay Wain (1821). Follow that will a walk through the surrounding countryside, so beloved by Constable.

Nowton Park, near Buy St Edmunds

Nature lovers will find Nowton Park, near Bury St Edmunds, fascinating, not least for its vivid display of daffodils that burst into life each spring. The park consists of over 200 acres of West Suffolk countryside and encompasses a unique arboretum; home to eucalyptus from Australia, paperbark maple from China and Kentucky coffee trees from North America. The China region is authentically rich in bamboo, whilst a Native American totem pole forms part of the North American region, carved from red cedar.

A substantial play area is also sure to keep the children occupied, along with the numerous paths that are ideal for cycling. A perfectly clipped hedge maze, designed in the shape of an oak tree and consisting of 2,500 hornbeam trees and over two miles of hedging, is also bound to keep you entertained for an hour or two!

Glemham Hall, Little Glemham

Built in circa 1560, and later given a Georgian façade, Glemham Hall is a picturesque place to spend time. As well as looking around the hall itself, you can also explore the 300 acres of parkland surrounding it, including a walled rose garden, some 600-year-old oak trees, a topiary, classical urns and a sculpture garden.

The Place For Plants, East Bergholt

Set in East Bergholt in the heart of Constable Country and the beautiful Stour Valley, The Place for Plants is a 20-acre garden and arboretum full of rambling roses, unusual flowering trees, fruit trees and wildflowers.

The garden is open to the public in the summer and after a tour of this sprawling, beautiful place, you can enjoy a bite to eat in the café and pick up some seeds and plants of your own in the well-stocked garden centre.

Fuller’s Mill Garden, West Stow

The founder and former resident Bernard Tickner of Fullers Mill Garden in West Stow, near Bury St Edmunds, spent over 50 years crafting its seven acres into a diminutive paradise of woodland, flowerbeds and hedgerows, all intersected by the babbling River Lark. Visit the ‘low garden’, ‘quandaries’, and ‘the strip’.  It’s a fantastic place to see rare plants that don’t grow wild in England.