Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens

Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens The official page of Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens. The award-winning Gardens of Beth Chatto OBE VM Beth began to transform the area in 1960, in her 40s.
(929)

The gardens of Beth Chatto OBE VMH used to be overgrown wasteland with poor gravel soil and boggy hollows. Some areas were formerly used for fruit farming, but it was deemed unfit. It became her life’s work and her contribution to the gardening world since then has been staggering. She won gold at the Chelsea Flower show 10 times, over 10 years. She wrote many influential books and she lectured all over the world. Beth sadly passed away in 2018 aged 94, but her legacy remains; her plants, her books, her gardens, her influence and her charity; the Beth Chatto Education Trust. Beth Chatto’s plants and gardens are an inspiration, a place to come to learn about plants, to be inspired by beautiful gardens and planting based on Beth’s ethos: ‘Right plant, right place’. The Gravel Garden, which is never irrigated and used to be the carpark, is now world-renowned. It’s an example of drought-resistant planting: sustainable planting, so important to our way of gardening now. The Gravel Garden gently descends into the dramatic water gardens where lush green growth creates a scene of harmony and tranquillity throughout the year. From late winter to early summer the Woodland gardens are embroidered with gentle drifts of plants and the Reservoir Garden has been recently replanted, opened by Beth on her 94th birthday.

90% of the plants in the ample plant nursery are grown here on site. Plants are lovingly cared for, to ensure their high quality and many are propagated from the plants Beth herself added to the Gardens. Plants are also available to buy online at www.bethchatto.co.uk/plants

Join us this Half Term for our Pumpkin Trail around the Garden. We also have daily craft activities and a fantastic pump...
07/10/2026

Join us this Half Term for our Pumpkin Trail around the Garden. We also have daily craft activities and a fantastic pumpkin throne to have your photograph taken on! Kids go free, with a paying adult.

Prebook your ticket:
https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/entrance.htm

An extract from Beth Chatto's Drought Resistant Planting'Autumn is a good time to see which plants are making bold state...
06/10/2026

An extract from Beth Chatto's Drought Resistant Planting

'Autumn is a good time to see which plants are making bold statements - full stop plants I sometimes call them, coming at the end of a sentence. Plants which by their shape, scale and texture cause you to pause and take breath after absorbing what might appear a bewildering combination of small-scale plants with intricate foliage.'

Skelton: photography

An extract from Dear Friend and Gardener'The colchicums have been late this year - a good thing, perhaps extending the s...
06/10/2026

An extract from Dear Friend and Gardener

'The colchicums have been late this year - a good thing, perhaps extending the season for many weeks. We have quite a wide range, some finished long ago. Others now at their best. They are specially welcome in the Wood Garden where few things flower at the end of the season. Colchicums are really mountain meadow plants, appearing in the short turf of the high meadows scythed for hay, but I have planted them in sunlit openings, in big bold drifts, outlining the pathways. The impact of purple and white is exciting in what could now be a rather sombre scene.'

Skelton: photography

We're delighted that our propagation expert Emily recently featured in Septembers Which? Gardening magazine in a feature...
05/10/2026

We're delighted that our propagation expert Emily recently featured in Septembers Which? Gardening magazine in a feature about Propagating in Autumn.

Photography by Jonathan Buckley

You can subscribe to Which? Gardening:
https://signup.which.co.uk/wlp-gardening

Plant of the Week - Helianthus ‘Carine’ 🪴A lovely, pale creamy-yellow sunflower, very similar to the much-loved ‘Lemon Q...
05/10/2026

Plant of the Week - Helianthus ‘Carine’ 🪴

A lovely, pale creamy-yellow sunflower, very similar to the much-loved ‘Lemon Queen’, but shorter in stature and with striking dark stems. It flowers generously from late summer into autumn, bringing a softer touch to the traditional sunflower palette.

If the name helianthus isn't familiar, you’ll probably know them better as sunflowers. The name comes from the Greek helios, meaning ‘sun’, and anthos, meaning ‘flower’. Native to North America and Mexico, they grow naturally in a range of habitats, from dry prairies and meadows to moister woodland edges.
These sun-loving flowers come in shades of yellow through to orange and red. Given a rich, fertile soil, they can be remarkably generous plants.

Like many daisy-shaped flowers, the open flowerheads are a valuable source of nectar and pollen for insects, attracting bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Once the flowers fade, the seedheads can also provide food for birds, while the foliage is enjoyed by the caterpillars of several moth species.

Aspect: Full sun
Flowering: Aug | Sep | Oct
Height: 1.2m
Spread: 90cm
Soil: Rich and fertile

An extract from Beth Chatto's Shade Garden'Overall, early autumn is quiet in the Wood Garden, with few flowering plants,...
04/10/2026

An extract from Beth Chatto's Shade Garden

'Overall, early autumn is quiet in the Wood Garden, with few flowering plants, but still good combinations of foliage. Long shadows alternate with brilliant strips of light lying across pathways, bouncing blinding-white off the surface of shiny leaves like those of hostas, wild ginger (Asarum europaeum) and epimediums: the last now dark green and leathery, will develop good autumn colour. Low sunlight catches both the top and undersides of the leaves of Solomon's Seal, dark shadows trapped between. Its gracefully arching stems provided you have dealt with sawfly caterpillars in June - continue to look well until cold, misty mornings in October bring a sudden change. Then almost overnight, together with hostas, they turn to honey and amber tints, catching the eye from far away.'

This week in the garden with MalinAfter a couple of weeks of autumn planting in the Water Garden, we got back to the oth...
04/10/2026

This week in the garden with Malin

After a couple of weeks of autumn planting in the Water Garden, we got back to the other garden areas for some w**ding. It’s been wet and warm, and all the w**d seeds that have struggled to germinate this hot summer suddenly got a lease of life and decided to pop up everywhere at the same time! With three interns to help us this week, we have been flying from area to area w**ding out sow thistle, annual nettles and groundsel en masse.

In the Scree Garden we thinned out seedlings of Californian poppy and Galactites tomentosa, and in the Water Garden w**dy euphorbias and Geranium robertianum, commonly known as herb Robert, were the main seedlings. Cathy gave the yucca in the Scree a haircut, and we found a whole bunch of seeded Genista aetnensis (Mount Etna broom). These little tree seedlings were all potted up and will be kept to grow on and will eventually be planted in the garden.

Towards the end of the week, we moved on to the Gravel garden. Cathy made an ident of tiny seedlings to help our interns identify which plants want to stay and which ones to be removed. A big thank you to Sofia, Ludi and Lily for all your help this week!

An extract from Beth Chatto's Shade Garden'Backlit and beautiful as low sunlight falls through their petals, wandering p...
03/10/2026

An extract from Beth Chatto's Shade Garden

'Backlit and beautiful as low sunlight falls through their petals, wandering parties of Japanese anemones rise above ferns where snowdrops and aconites covered the space in January and February. The lovely old variety Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' (1.2m/4ft) is unsurpassed. Its saucer-shaped, white flowers, filled with yellow stamens, raise my spirits for weeks, well into November. Standing tall and pure against a leafy background, they pick up the white variegation in the eye-catching elder, Sambucus nigra 'Pulverulenta'. '

1. Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
2. Anemone huphensis var. japonica 'Pamina'
3. Anemone x hybrida 'Whirlwind'
4. Anemone hupehensis var. japonica 'Prinz Heinrich'

This week in propagation 🌱We're feeling blue down in the growing department this week! Don’t worry, not in a forlorn and...
01/10/2026

This week in propagation 🌱

We're feeling blue down in the growing department this week! Don’t worry, not in a forlorn and sorrowful sort of way. It's a good blue, a blue with a bit of swagger about it. I'm talking Duncan James and the other three performing 'One Love' in 2002 on Top of the Pops Blue! But why are we feeling this way? Well, it’s down to two particular genera looking spectacular at the moment - caryopteris and ceratostigma!

I'm a big fan of Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Dark Knight', with its clusters of brooding blue flowers. This dense mound-forming shrub boasts aromatic green leaves that are rather silvery. It's just one of five varieties we propagate here, and I recommend it for anyone with a full-sun spot, and a light well-drained soil needing something a bit special.

Another blue beauty at the moment is Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, commonly known as hardy blue-flowered leadwort. Head of Horticulture, Steve, refers to this creeping stunner as a valuable autumn plant. Not only does it gift some groundcover and vibrant blue flowers, but its changing foliage turns a crimson-red, a colour we love to embrace at this time of year.

Emily has been seed collecting and what a haul she's pulled together this week. The Lovecraftian heads of Cynara cardunculus, beads of Milium effusum 'Aureum', and the rich brown treasure of Tellima grandiflora Odorata Group which will have you craving a hot chocolate.

Tina and Mel have been absolute rockets this week! Both have been scissor happy, cutting back those plants needing a chop. When not snipping, they've been checking on our growing stock, much of which is now fully rooted and can now be found on our nursery and website.

As always, thank you so much for your orders, they've kept Kiran, Debs and Angela in the pack house very busy. Many of you might have noticed we currently have an incredible array of dry bulbs for sale, proving extremely popular as always. There's a plethora of gems here, including 13 different allium varieties, 10 narcissus varieties and 7 tulipa.

There's at least another dozen different genus for the grabs, so if bulbs are your thing, please go take a look!

Until next time
Rob

Dry bulbs now available!Thinking ahead to next year's garden, our collection of bulbs is now available to order online.F...
01/10/2026

Dry bulbs now available!

Thinking ahead to next year's garden, our collection of bulbs is now available to order online.

From familiar favourites to some less usual choices, our bulbs have been carefully selected by our horticultural team for their beauty, character and ability to bring something special to the garden.

Whether you’re filling borders, adding colour beneath trees or planting up pots, there’s something here to look forward to.

Plant a little promise now, and enjoy the reward next year.

Shop our full range here: https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/shop-by-other/dry-bulbs/?0_0=0&p=1

Address

Beth Chatto, Clacton Road
Colchester
CO77DB

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

01206 822007

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Beth Chatto's Plants & Gardens posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category