Autumn Gardens at The Vyne

Hundreds of brightly coloured dahlias, swelling orange pumpkins, and a fruit orchard ready for harvesting are just some of the delights to look out for in the garden this season.

There are nine hectares of garden surrounding the house at The Vyne.

Two lakes, a walled garden, formal garden and meadow along with lawns and a herbaceous border sit neatly inside this area.

There is plenty for you to explore through the seasons, from the 17th-century summerhouse to a 600-year-old oak tree.

Autumn Gardens at The Vyne

Walled garden: this part of the garden with its elegant high brick walls is a rainbow of colour in autumn.

The 30m dahlia border is a spectacular sight, packed with incredible colours and shapes.

Particularly striking is red and yellow dahlia Pooh, known as a ‘collarette’ because it has a ‘collar’ of shorter petals in a contrasting colour at its centre.

There are apricot pompons, candy pink cactus blooms, and rich red ‘dinnerplates’ the size of your hand, to mention just a few.

If you time it right, you’ll find bunches of freshly cut dahlias for sale just outside the walled garden.

Orchard: nothing smells more autumnal than a fruit orchard.

At The Vyne, heritage apples, pears, mulberries and plums are reaching their peak in the orchard just outside the walled garden.

It’s a peaceful place to stroll and it’s full of butterflies and bees enjoying a late nectar source.

The fruit is now being harvested with help from their volunteers, and you can purchase bags of fresh apples at their visitor kiosk.

Fancy a juicy Beauty of Hampshire or Coeur de Boeuf?

Summerhouse garden: a palette of pinks and purples populate the central flowerbeds in the summer months, featuring Echinacea, Phlox and Clematis among others.

Each bed forms a Grecian cross to reflect the floorplan of the 17th-century summerhouse.

Wild garden: marking the transition between garden and countryside, the wild garden is a haven for wildlife with its tall grasses.

The rustic cobwebs of autumn begin to drape themselves around the plants in the Autumn Gardens at The Vyne.

In late summer the leaves turn a deep black crimson colour, then as autumn progresses they go through a kaleidoscope of colors – golden yellow, amber and red.

In the ancient woodlands surrounding this former Tudor palace beeches and oaks mingle with sweet and horse chestnuts to present a glorious canopy of rich autumn foliage.

Fringing the edges of The Vyne’s lake, the orange, crimson and deep purple leaves of liquid amber and swamp cypress trees create beautiful reflections across the water.

There are plenty of self-led trails around the estate for families to enjoy.

Unfortunately ball games, frisbees, bikes, scooters and drones are not allowed on the estate.

This is to prevent further damage to the house and grounds.

Dogs are welcome on a lead at all times, not allowed in the house, shop, servery or first floor of tearoom or the play area off the Lime Avenue.

You can now take your dog into the ground-floor seating area of the Brewhouse tea-room.

They suggest you have min two people in your group so one can sit with the dog while the other orders.

Assistance dogs welcome

Paths in the grounds are uneven at times.

Woodland paths are difficult to navigate due to tree roots.

Accessible toilets are located at the tea-room which is 1,200m from the car park.

All points of interest are within sight of hard gravel paths.

The Vyne,

Vyne Road,

Sherborne St John, Basingstoke,

Hampshire,

RG24 9HL

01256883858

thevyne@nationaltrust.org.uk