Here’s what to look forward to during the Autumn Festival…

The Celebration Garden

During the festival the Celebration Garden is ablaze with colour, the borders are bursting with shrubs, perennials, roses and our famous home-grown Dahlias, showcased in a natural garden setting beside our more formal trial ground.

It is free to visit the Autumn Festival and the Celebration Garden, but we welcome donations to the National Garden Scheme, a charity that raises funds for nursing and health charities.

4,000 Dazzling Dahlias

Our famous home-grown Dahlias are the stars of the show and a sight not to be missed! The one-acre Dahlia Field displays our collection comprising of over 60 varieties in an array of flower types and colours. Meander through the carefully planted rows admiring the diversity of the varieties on show and choose your favourites for growing in your garden next year!

Dahlia plants will be available from the garden centre next year, but if you wish to take home a memento of your day, our cut Dahlia flowers will be available to purchase daily throughout the festival for just £1 per stem.

The Festival Tea Tent

Open daily during the festival, 10am – 4pm, and the perfect spot for refreshments that can be enjoyed looking over our picturesque Dahlia Field & Celebration Garden. A selection of freshly prepared sandwiches and deliciously tempting homemade cream scones and cakes will be available, as well as a selection of cold beverages, teas and barista style coffees. Sit in our tea tent, outside on one of our picnic tables for a panoramic view of the garden, or venture into the garden and find a quiet spot on one of our benches.

Look out for our Special Edition Festival Sandwich!

A day out for all the family…

The garden is perfect for visitors of all ages, the neatly mowed grass paths mean the borders are accessible and easy to enjoy, on foot, by wheelchair or by pushchair. There is plenty to keep young visitors entertained – get dizzy in the spiral grass maze, see how you measure up on our measuring pole, and explore our willow tunnel and dome! Bring your magnifying glasses and see what insect visitors there are in our enchanting Bug Hotels and watch out for an array of bees and butterflies visiting the garden. The garden is dog friendly too; we just ask that your four-legged friends are kept on a fixed lead at all times and any whoopsies are picked up.

And not forgetting our Gnome Trail, new for this year, our trail starts with Jubilee Jack, our very British gnome tour guide! He has 6 gnome friends to find, and they will take you on a tour of the garden as you find them. Perfect for children and adults alike, our fun-loving Gnomes, painted by our team, are a great addition to the garden and have some fascinating facts about garden bugs and beasties to learn along the way! Download or see our App for the full Gnome Trail map which will help you spot all the Gnomes by following the footsteps.

VIP Access

During the Festival the Celebration Garden can be accessed from the garden centre as well as through our overflow field parking, where parking beside the garden and tea tent is possible. From inside the garden centre, you can walk through the gate at the top of the plant area, shopping trollies and baskets will be looked after for you by the gate so you can walk freely around and enjoy the sights, look out for the direction arrows, or ask a member of the team to guide you.

No tickets or booking is required to visit the Autumn Festival. Please invite your friends and family we would love to see lots of visitors enjoying the Dahlias and Garden especially on our 70^th year!

The Garden Centre, Seasons Café and Roots Coffee Bar opening times are as usual during the Festival.