Explore Ascott Gardens
One of the best gardens to visit in Bedfordshire
Grand and graceful, intimate and exciting, Ascott Gardens offer endless things to explore.
Our showpiece features are unique and photogenic – memorable settings for photos of a great day out. Whether you like formal planting, geometric hedges and brilliant blooms, or whether you like to run, rest or discover – you can find it all in Ascott Gardens.
Stunning set pieces
An iconic piece of the Gardens is Ascott’s vast Topiary Sundial. This huge evergreen timepiece is made from neatly-trimmed hedges of box and yew. Its Roman numerals are framed by a fitting motto: “light & shade by turn but love always”.
Restful natural spaces
At Ascott House and Gardens mellow, modern spaces sit amid the grand designs. In the contemporary Lynn Garden, landscaped circles meet moated islands and infinity pools.
Find a peaceful seat among the flowers and enjoy the moving water and busy bees in the planted beds. Meanwhile in the lower part of the Gardens, the jagged Cornish slates of the Ascott Circle add texture and a burst of modern art.
Run, rest, recover
You can stroll along the 100-yard Madeira Walk beside borders of delphiniums and old roses – a riot of mauve, lilac and blue – or explore the leafy fern garden and the fragrant Scented Walk.
In spring you can wander among apparently endless sweeps of glorious daffodils. In summer watch carp glide in the Lily Pond while bright blue dragon flies buzz by.
Playful. Restful. Joyful. The Gardens surrounding Ascott House are an endless delight.
What's in Bloom
Expect plenty of seasonal splendour at Ascott Gardens.
Spring brings unmissable arrays of daffodils, carpeting the ground under swathes of trees. The elegant Magnolia Dell fills with delicate blooms. Vibrant tulips pack the Dutch Garden.
In summer, expect swirls of bees and butterflies. Countless waterlilies afloat on the Lilly Pond. Wild roses, alliums and campanulas frame the Madeira Walk.
In autumn scarlet oaks, cedars and horse-chestnuts bring blazes of colour while the immense 350 year old copper beech puts on a fine seasonal show.