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The Garden
A garden of global wonders
A stunning seven-and-a-half-acre botanical garden in Birmingham awaits to be explored. From tranquil Japanese-inspired spaces to vibrant seasonal displays, our garden offers an escape from the everyday and a chance to explore plants from around the world.
The wonderful Walled Garden
The Walled Garden would originally have been used solely to grow fresh produce for the Nettlefold family. You can see this history reflected in what we grow here today, with an ambitious variety of fruit and veggies growing all year round. In the summer months, the Walled Garden also bursts into life with flowering perennials, scented roses, and striking dahlias.
Escape the city in our Sandstone Rock Garden
Down by the Sandstone Rock Garden you will find perhaps the most peaceful corner of Winterbourne’s seven-and-a-half acre botanical garden in Birmingham. Many of the Japanese-style features here, including the iconic Japanese Bridge and Tea House, were added by John Nicolson in the 1930s. With sounds of the gently flowing stream, the vibrant colours of the Japanese maples, and the playful stepping stones, this is a true escape from the hustle and bustle of Birmingham.
Travel the world as you wander the garden
Originally designed to be a grand family garden, Winterbourne’s grounds later became the University of Birmingham’s botanical garden. With it being used by the Department of Botany for research and learning throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, new plants from across the world were introduced into the garden. The addition of Geographical Beds, which remain today, transport visitors from Europe to South America, Asia and Australasia.
Find out what’s in bloom this autumn
Canna × ehemanii in the sunken garden
Large, banana-like leaves and unusual drooping pinkish-red flowers are carried on stems over 2 metres tall.
Planted this spring in the new sunken garden, this striking Canna has thrived in the summer heat and will continue flowering until the first frosts.
We hope that, with winter protection, it will survive to flower again next year.
Eurybia divaricata around the Lych Gate garden
Native to eastern North America, this herbaceous perennial is one of the few late-flowering plants that thrives in the shade of mature trees.
Its white, star-like flowers, with dark centres and held on striking black stems, bring light and interest to the shady understory beneath our Giant Redwood.
Colchicums around the play area and alpine house
The first of the autumn bulbs to emerge each year are the Colchicums.
Their goblet-shaped flowers, in shades of pink and lilac, appear in autumn before the leaves, which emerge the following spring.
Taller varieties can topple in wet and windy weather, so they are often planted in grass or meadow areas where they can naturalise gracefully.
