Stately home gardens carry a certain kind of grandeur. There’s history to be found in every garden path, border, and view. But designing for these garden spaces isn’t about making a statement for the sake of it; it’s about working with the natural setting around you.
Whether you wish to carefully restore or completely reimagine your outdoor space, a thoughtful heritage garden planting scheme can make all the difference. Here are 5 ideas we often draw on when designing for stately home gardens, so you can get inspired to transform your own!
Many stately home gardens are based around structure. Think topiary, pleached trees, and carefully clipped hedging. These elements help to define the space and give it a sense of permanence; but this formal backbone can feel a little stiff by itself.
That’s why we always like to layer in something looser. This could include airy perennials such as Verbena bonariensis, soft planting combinations like Ammi, Salvia and Nepeta, or ornamental grasses that move gently with the breeze. This balance of form and freedom feels both luxurious and inviting: the perfect combination for grand English gardens.
A focal point of many formal gardens are the beautiful herbaceous borders, featuring long, layered swathes of bold planting and rich colours. These luxury planting designs are inspired by gardening greats such as Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West, and while they give off an air of simplicity and ease, they do require careful planning and horticultural knowledge.
When we design luxury borders for grand gardens, we always design with the specific garden and season in mind. This could mean using a restrained colour palette to complement the architecture, choosing plants that have a long flowering period, or focusing on foliage contrast to keep the planting interesting throughout the year. We carefully consider every detail to make sure it has a place in your garden and that it can be maintained for years to come.
Planting needs to work hard in large stately home gardens. Not just in spring and summer, but throughout the quieter months too. Evergreens help to anchor the space and give it rhythm all year round.
We often use evergreens such as yew, holly, or laurel to section out key views and hold the shape of the garden. Smaller clipped forms, such as domes or cubes, can be used to echo the formality of the house or create calm moments between more expressive planting. These evergreen touches help to add weight and definition to the space, without feeling overbearing.
Read our blog on ‘winter flowering plants’ for more recommendations on evergreen plants that are perfect for winter.
While many stately home gardens feature formal terraces and ornamental borders, there is usually space to lean into something a little wilder. Meadow-style planting works beautifully when large gardens open out into the surrounding countryside.
You could incorporate a generous wildflower meadow or a naturalistic gravel garden. Or, you could simply include a border that feels softer and more relaxed. Plants like Achillea, Echinacea, Deschampsia and Stipa help to create gentle movement and interest, while also supporting your biodiversity efforts.
Explore more ideas for sustainable meadow-style planting in our guide to the latest trends in Cotswold garden landscaping.
One of the joys of a heritage garden planting scheme is how it shifts and evolves through the year. Picture bulbs emerging in spring, vibrant flowering borders in the summer, rich grasses and seed heads in autumn, and bare stems and structure in winter.
At Gardens by Keltie & Clark, we believe that every season deserves its moment. That’s why we always consider seasonal layering when designing planting schemes for stately home gardens. By carefully layering bulbs, perennials, shrubs, and trees, we will ensure your garden never feels empty. It’s always changing and drawing you in.
At Gardens by Keltie & Clark, we specialise in curating garden design planting schemes that honour heritage, while still introducing moments of modern beauty. Get in touch with us and we can help shape your garden into something that feels uplifting and full of life at every turn.
