A garden for all seasons: tulips and dahlias at Dunsborough Park in Surrey

Dunsborough Park is a private garden not far from London, in Ripley, Surrey. It is open twice a year for tulips and dahlia days which is bookable through the National Garden Scheme or through their own website. I love visiting private gardens—it’s like a little peek into a secret garden. Both seasons are exquisite at Dunsborough Park, and I look forward to my biannual visits.

Tulips at Dunsborough Park

The tulip days at Dunsborough Park are very popular. There are three ticket slots per day that allow you into the garden for several hours (rather than timed tickets throughout the entire day). This means that there is an influx of visitors at these arrival times. I found that waiting until the end of the window allowed me to take beautiful photos without too many other visitors nearby. There are also cakes and teas on sale in the garden for charity and it is a very pretty set up.

Different areas of the garden boast a variety of planting styles. There is a formal garden with pink tulips and hyacinth, overlooked by beautiful blossom trees. There is a white garden along a promenade with a very elegant planting scheme. My favourite bit is the tulip meadow towards the bridge. It’s charming and spontaneous in the way it is planted, and definitely a crowd favourite.

There’s a good chance that the wisteria on the bridge may be blooming towards the end of the tulip season. Either way, the spring garden is a treasure trove.

Dahlias at Dunsborough Park

The dahlia days at Dunsborough Park are less known in my experience. There were not nearly as many visitors in September as there were in April, which was a shame because the dahlia displays are just as stunning. The walk pictured below is a particular highlight as you are enveloped by beautiful flowers while walking into the depths of the garden.

As for a bit of history: Dunsborough Park dates back to the dissolution of the Monasteries when the lands of Newark Abbey were given to a local nobleman. The house was built around a single central brick chimney and the gardens were laid out in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. After a period of neglect, the estate was restored and re-opened to the public in 1997 by the Sweerts family. The restoration involved the initial work of Penelope Hobhouse in the walled gardens and Simon Johnson dividing the older walled garden for statuary display.

The 100-acre estate comprises of historical gardens with a variety of features including the Penelope Hobhouse borders, the Dutch Garden, the Medicinal Border, the Secret/White Garden, the Mediterranean Garden, the Old Rose Garden, the Rose Walk, the Italian Garden, and the Water Garden. The Water Garden features a series of descending ponds leading to the Ockham Mill Stream, and a folly bridge designed by W Braxton Sinclair.

The dahlia planting is organised by colour which provides a stunning effect when looking at the garden from afar. There are dozens of varieties all meticulously labelled and I enjoyed spotting the eccentric names of some.

Whether in April or September, Dunsborough Park is a stunning garden near to London that offers an escape into beautiful garden design.

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