Hergest Croft Gardens are nestled under the iconic Hergest Ridge with fabulous views of the Black Mountains on the Welsh Border.
These critically acclaimed and simply stunning 70 acre gardens hold the national collections of Maples, Birches and Zelkovas. Created and extended by the Banks family over the past five generations, Hergest Croft Gardens are famous for their spectacular spring and autumn colour and contain more than 5,000 rare trees, shrubs and 130 “Champion” Trees. In fact, the gardens are considered to be one of the most important horticultural sites in the country.
The Azalea Garden has an impressive collection of Azaleas, together with a huge variety of unusual and rare trees. Next to it, and started in 1985, is the Maple Grove which contains many new shrubs and trees, introduced from all over the world especially from the Far East, many of which are unique and not seen anywhere else in the UK. In addition to a traditional vegetable garden, the Kitchen Garden features spring borders, ancient apple trees, a long double herbaceous border and beds of old-fashioned roses.
Park Wood, a secluded valley, hidden deep in an ancient oak wood, is but a short stroll from the main gardens across extensive parkland and contains over 30 acres of giant Rhododendrons and exotic trees, creating an unusual Himalayan scene.
Maples Tearooms within Hergest Croft offer a wide selection of delicious home-made light lunches and teas overlooking the front lawn with terrace seating. Tearooms open daily during the season. Winter opening (selected hours, please see website for further details).
Hergest Croft Gardens started with William Hartland Banks (1867-1930) and his wife, Dorothy (nee Alford) (1866-1937), married in 1893 and started building Hergest Croft and laying out the gardens in 1895. Both had read Natural Sciences at Cambridge and were passionate gardeners and plant collectors. Willie was also a keen photographer.
Willie’s father, Richard William Banks, who had started the planting of exotic trees on the estate, had died in 1891. Willie and Dorothy then decided to build Hergest Croft as a home for themselves and their growing young family.
Work began in 1895 and Dorothy records that under the foundation stone they buried three silver coins of 1895, a cancelled bank note and a bottle containing a copy of the Birmingham post of the day.
The house is in the Arts and Crafts style, and contains some interesting details, including a fine William de Morgan tiled fireplace in the old dining room, now the Maples Tearoom. See website.
Willie and Dorothy designed the garden themselves and were much influenced by the writings of William Robinson, especially ‘The English Flower Garden’. The first decade of the twentieth century was one of the most exciting in the history of plant collecting. The most notable collector was Ernest ‘Chinese’ Wilson, who was employed by Veitch Nurseries at Kingston-on-Thames. The Bankses bought extensively from them, as well as from Vilmorin and Chenault in France, and many of the trees and shrubs today are amongst the earliest plantings of these species in Britain.
The family lived in Hergest Croft until 1941 when it was requisitioned by the Local Education Authority to house Bootle Girls’ School for the remainder of the war. The house was then occupied by Lady Hawkins School until 1965 when it was taken over by the Herefordshire County Archives.
When Willie and Dorothy’s son, Richard Alford Banks (“Dick”) (1902-1997) and his wife,
Jane, returned here in 1953, they faced the Herculean task of restoring the gardens
following the war years. Dick was another keen and skilled plantsman. He added a huge
number of trees and shrubs to his father’s collection and it is these that form the core of the garden today. He planted many of the magnolias, and his interest in maples and birches is reflected in the range of these genera in the garden, which now form National Collections.
Lawrence Banks (1938-2022) and his wife, Elizabeth, took over the gardens in 1988. He served as the Treasurer of the Royal Horticultural Society for many years and she is a noted landscape architect, as well as being the first female President of the RHS from 2010 to 2013.
As China re-opened to plant collectors in the 1980s, they were able to introduce a range of trees and shrubs to rival those of W. H. Banks at the start of the twentieth century. These can be seen in the Maple Grove.
Their son, Edward, (b.1967) and his wife, Julia, took over ownership of the gardens in 2010, becoming the fifth generation of the Banks family to care for the gardens.
They are ably guided by Elizabeth, as well as the team of very experienced gardeners that includes Head Gardener, Stephen Lloyd, who has worked at Hergest Croft Gardens for over 40 years, and Rowan Griffiths, 2023 winner of the RHS Roy Lancaster award (given to an individual under 35 who has made an exceptional contribution to the practice, science or promotion of horticulture).
Indeed Rowan Griffiths added to his award collection
Speaking about his latest achievement, Rowan Griffiths said:
“I am hugely honoured to receive this award. It is a testament to the Banks family in creating a garden of global significance at Hergest. With so many wild-origin plants of scientific importance in the collection, we take our ex-situ conservation role working with partners such as Plant Heritage and the BCGI very seriously. We also hope that visitors will be inspired by the amazing diversity of plant life on show at Hergest, often from increasingly fragile parts of the world.”
More can be found at www.welshcountry.co.uk/rowan-griffiths-honoured-with-community-conservation-award/
Whether you are a keen gardener in search of inspiration, a discerning Dendrologist or just looking for a quiet place in which to stroll, visiting this unique, atmospheric garden is a truly memorable experience.
- Open weekends only during March and then daily from April to November.
- Gift Shop.
- Plant Sales.
- Tearoom.
- Dogs on leads welcome.
- Personalised tours – individual/groups booked in advance.
- Coaches by appt only (parking available).
Address: Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington HR5 3EG
Tel: 01544 230160
Visit: www.hergest.co.uk
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