The Gardens at Hampton Court Palace

The Gardens at Hampton Court Palace

The Wilderness Garden

The Wilderness Garden at Hampton Court Palace

Overview

Surrounding the palace on every side except for the front is the gardens. The gardens were used to grow vegetables for the kitchen and a retreat for the royals who needed some fresh air. The gardens were turned into a huge tourist attraction for visitors who visit the palace now.

The Different Gardens at Hampton Court Palace

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden takes visitors through a very relaxing stroll through different roses. Many different colors of roses, like red, pink, and yellow to name a few, line the walls and center of the garden. There are three stone statues that are the centerpiece of the rose garden. The garden was created in 1924 and was planted informally with old English varieties of roses. Visitors first were allowed into the garden when they realized that visitors to the palace were growing in the years after World War I. In 1937, many different gardeners created the formal layout of the mixes of roses that are in the garden today. The kitchen garden was shortened to allow room for the rose garden to be put into place. It used to be part of the Tiltyard Gardens, but was divided up for the kitchen and magic gardens. The Tilityard was where competitors trained for jousting tournaments and other entertainment for King Henry VIII.

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  The Rose Garden

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  Statue in The Rose Garden

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  Statue in The Rose Garden

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  Yellow Roses

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  Purple Roses

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  Pink Roses

The Wilderness Garden

In a large part of the gardens off to the west is the wilderness garden. The wilderness garden technically isn't wild at all, but there is no pattern or formal part to the garden. All the garden is is just strolls through woods on dirt paths. The garden was enjoyed by William III and Mary II. They used the garden to get away from the royal palace and immerse themselves into what the actual woods was. Birds and squirrels roamed the trees freely in the wilderness garden and wild flowers grew. Many different types of trees were planted in the garden to give it a variety. The springtime is the best time to visit the wilderness garden since that is when everything in the garden awakes from a deep winter sleep. The birds come chirping back and the wild flowers grow to amazing heights.

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  Wild Flowers in The Wilderness Garden

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  Modern Walking Path

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  Wall Dividing Gardens

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  Hanging Wild Flowers

The Maze

Inside the wilderness garden is a small maze. The maze was part of the original wilderness forest, but became very popular during Queen Victoria's time when visitors tried to find their own way through the maze. The maze offered high secluded bushes for members of the royal family to walk with lots of privacy from the outside world. Today, the maze has shrunk from its original size, but still holds the prize in the center. In the center of the maze, At the center of the maze (if one is lucky enough to find their way to the center), they will be greeted by a quiet space to talk and sit on benches that Queen Victoria once sat on.