Waterperry Gardens

Wheatley

A whole afternoon in the borders

Waterperry has been a working garden for the better part of a century, and you can feel it the moment you walk in. Twenty acres of ornamental gardens near Wheatley, just east of Oxford, planted with real depth and confidence: long, generous sweeps of colour that change completely through the seasons. The famous Mary Rose Garden sits near the heart of the grounds, surrounded by old orchard trees and perennial beds that hum with bees in summer. Beyond the formal areas there are riverside walks along the River Thame, a knot garden, a formal garden and a Saxon church tucked into one corner. It is the sort of place where a quick look at the plant centre quietly turns into a whole afternoon, especially once you have found the teashop.

We usually go from the cottage as a proper day out rather than a passing stop. It is about fifty minutes over, an easy run round the top of Oxford and out along the A40 to the brown signs at Wheatley. The gardens are open every day except the days between Christmas and New Year, so it works in almost any weather we are handed. There is a charge to walk the ornamental gardens themselves, but the plant centre, garden shop, gallery, gift barn and teashop are all free to wander, which makes it an easy afternoon even when someone in the party would rather browse than walk. Children sixteen and under go in free, and the whole place is flat and pram-friendly.

How we spend a day here

We tend to arrive mid-morning, do the gardens while everyone is fresh, then let the afternoon go slow around the shops and the teashop. It rewards a lazy pace.

• The borders firstLate June and July are the peak, when the herbaceous borders are at full tilt, but there is colour from the spring bulbs right through to the autumn show. Give the long borders and the Mary Rose Garden proper time.
• The plant centreExcellent, and dangerous if you have any garden space at home. We rarely leave without something for the car boot, and the staff actually know their stock.
• Gallery and gift barnThe Art in Action Gallery carries work by British artists alongside home and garden pieces. Named for the huge Art in Action festival Waterperry hosted for years, and worth a slow browse.
• The teashopProper lunches and very good cake, with tables outside looking over the gardens. This is usually where the afternoon quietly disappears.

When to come

If you want the borders at their best, aim for high summer. But Waterperry runs a full calendar through the year, from art exhibitions and craft fairs to the plant fairs and the well-known autumn apple weekend, so there is nearly always a reason to go. Hours run to 5.30pm in the main season and 5pm through winter, which leaves plenty of room for a slow lunch. We would always check the official site for the day's events and the current garden admission before setting off, as neither is worth guessing at.

Making a day of it near Oxford

Because it sits on the far side of Oxford from us, we tend to build the whole day around it rather than tack it on to something in the Cotswolds. It pairs naturally with a morning or afternoon in the city itself, or with one of the other great Oxfordshire gardens if you are on a planting pilgrimage. Rousham House and Gardens, with its William Kent landscape, is the obvious companion, and Broughton Grange is worth the trip for its contemporary walled garden. For the full list of gardens and days out within reach of the cottage, see our guide to things to do and see in the area.

“The herbaceous borders in July are genuinely some of the best I've seen anywhere. And the plant centre always costs me more than I planned.”

Visit the official site →

Also nearby

• Barton Abbey Gardens · Gardens · 30 min
• Broughton Grange Gardens · Gardens · 50 min
• Rousham House and Gardens · Garden · 30 min