The Alnwick Garden

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The Alnwick Garden

One of the world's most contemporary gardens🌱
We are a unique garden, tourist attraction and community charity 💫
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Featuring the world's largest wooden Treehouse, the Poison Garden and the world's largest Taihaku Cherry orchard, as well as interactive water features and stunning rose and ornamental gardens, The Alnwick Garden offers the alternative day out. The Garden is also regularly filled with visiting actors, musicians and artists, ensuring that no visit is ordinary. A garden with a purpose, The Alnwick G

arden is a registered charity (No.1095435) that places people at the forefront of all of its activities.

03/06/2026

Alliums, alliums everywhere! 🤩

Have you spotted these striking purple blooms around The Garden lately? 👀✨

Not only do alliums put on an incredible display, they're also a favourite with pollinators, helping to attract bees and other beneficial insects throughout the summer 🐝

They're often said to have a strong scent that helps deter deer and rabbits... although our resident deer don't seem to have got the memo and still like to sneak in for a snack on the roses! 🌹🦌

But did you know what family alliums belong to? 🌿
Here's a clue: they're often called ornamental onions...

That's right! Alliums are closely related to onions, garlic, shallots and chives, all members of the allium family!

As tough as they are beautiful, these resilient plants thrive in a range of conditions, from sunny borders to shadier spots like our Cherry Orchard.

And if that wasn't impressive enough, species of allium have even been found growing in the harsh conditions of the Himalayas, including around the slopes of Mount Everest ⛰️✨

Next time you're exploring The Garden, keep an eye out for these towering purple pom-poms swaying above the borders! 💜🌿

01/06/2026

A shout-out to our AMAZING Volunteers! 🤩💫

This week is UK Volunteers’ Week, a special opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible work our volunteers do for The Garden 🌿

Since before our doors opened in 2001, volunteers have been the heart of our organisation, generously giving thousands of hours every year.

In fact recent research has calculated that our volunteers have given over 126,000 hours of volunteering since 2001! 👏🏻

They are an integeral part of The Garden's story, helping across the site with maintaining the grounds to supporting our charitable missions ⛲️🐝

Their dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment make The Garden what it is today. We simply couldn’t do it without you 🌟

Swipe through to see our volunteers past and present! 🫶🏼✨

31/05/2026

Swipe right to take a trip back in time… 👀✨

This year, The Alnwick Garden celebrates 25 years of growth, transformation, and unforgettable memories 🌿

Back in 1996, the Duchess of Northumberland had a vision, to breathe life back into a once-forgotten landscape.

By 1997, renowned designers Jacques and Peter Wirtz were commissioned, and construction began on what would become one of the UK’s most iconic gardens 🤩

After years of neglect following the Second World War, the site was in a state of disrepair. But over three years, phase one of the restoration slowly brought The Garden back to life 🌱✨

Then, in 2001, we welcomed our very first visitors to explore the brand-new Rose Garden, Ornamental Garden, and the stunning Sage Wealth Management Grand Cascade 🌹

Fast forward 25 years, and those once-young plants and trees now stand tall and thriving. The landscape is bursting with colour in the summer sunshine, and every pathway tells part of the story of how far we’ve come.

From neglected grounds to a place filled with beauty, imagination, and millions of memories made, what a journey it’s been and we can't wait to see what the future holds! 💫⛲️

29/05/2026

We need your vote! 🌟

We’re incredibly proud to share that The Treehouse Restaurant has been nominated for North East Restaurant of the Year in the My Local Awards 2026 🎉

From cosy lunches and celebration dinners to magical evenings amongst the trees, thank you to everyone who has supported us and made memories at The Treehouse over the years 🍃

If you’ve ever enjoyed dining with us, we’d be so grateful if you could take a moment to vote for The Treehouse. Every single vote means the world to our wonderful team 🌿

Thank you for all your continued support, and for helping our little restaurant in the trees shine ✨

🔗 Vote now: https://mylocalawards.co.uk/business/the-treehouse-restaurant-at-the-alnwick-garden/?utm_source=Unknown+List&utm_campaign=03e97f86bd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_27_08_48&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-03e97f86bd-

27/05/2026

A familiar face has returned to the branches of our oldest tree… 🦉✨

We’re delighted to share that our beloved Wise Old Owl is once again watching over The Garden after a beautiful restoration by the incredibly talented Sheila Abercrombie, who is one of our Elderberries! 🌿

Originally created in 2018, as part of our charitable missions with the Blooming Well group, the willow owl quickly became a much-loved feature and talking point for visitors. After sadly falling into disrepair, the owl has now been carefully and lovingly brought back to life, with new feathers, a reshaped structure, and plenty of patience and care along the way.

Thanks to Sheila, her grandchildren, and our brilliant team here at The Garden, the Wise Old Owl is proudly perched once again in the branches of our oldest tree, alongside a beautiful new sign crafted from locally sourced Northumbrian oak 🍃

A huge thank you to everyone involved in restoring this special piece of The Garden’s story! ⛲️💫

Be sure to stop by and say hello to our wise old friend on your next visit!

Swipe to see the during and after photos 📸

24/05/2026

No, this isn’t something out of Jack and the Beanstalk, this is our Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) sprouting again for the first time in 3 years! 😳

Nicknamed the plant that gives you “vampire skin”, its toxic sap can strip away your skin’s natural UV protection, meaning sunlight can cause severe blistering burns ☀️⚠️

This dangerous plant is one of the most talked about species inside The Poison Garden, and our gardeners have to wear full protective clothing when working near it 👀🌿

Giant Hogweed is also scarily common across the UK and can often be found along coastlines, roadsides and riverbanks. If you spot it growing in public areas, contact your local council so it can be safely removed.

The last time our Giant Hogweed flowered was in 2023, when it reached a whopping 10ft 4 inches or 315 cm 😱

But this summer… how big will it get? 🤔🌱

Guess the final height correctly and you could WIN two tickets to Winter Light Trail at The Alnwick Garden & Lilidorei this December ✨

Drop your guesses below ⬇️

19/05/2026

Right now, our Laburnum tree is glowing GOLDEN in The Poison Garden ✨🌼

Known as the “Golden Chain Tree”, Laburnum became hugely popular across the UK thanks to its beautiful cascading yellow flowers. Following the war, it was widely planted in public spaces, parks and even schools to help brighten up urban areas.

But behind the sunshine-yellow blooms hides a much darker story… ☠️

Every part of the tree is poisonous, but the greatest danger comes later in the season when it develops hanging seed pods that closely resemble peas.

As part of the pea family, these pods can look harmless to children, but they contain a toxic alkaloid called cytisine, which can cause serious poisoning if ingested.

During the 1970s, growing numbers of poisonings and hospitalisations linked to Laburnum led many schools, parks and public spaces to remove the trees altogether.

While Laburnum was never banned in the UK, awareness around its dangers dramatically changed how and where it was planted, with some councils restricting where the plant can be placed!

Today, many of these striking trees still remain across Britain, continuing to catch the eye every spring with their dazzling golden flowers, and adding a much needed pop of colour to our Poison Garden in the late spring 💛

15/05/2026

Could you be our new Philanthropy & Partnerships Manager? 💚

We're delighted to be expanding the Philanthropy & Partnerships team here at The Garden, driving income through innovative fundraising activity, and enhancing engagement with our charitable mission.

The Philanthropy and Partnerships Manager will play a key role in developing and delivering a diverse and sustainable fundraising programme for The Alnwick Garden.

Working closely with our Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships, the post holder will lead on individual giving initiatives, support the growth of high-value donor and corporate relationships, and contribute to the planning and delivery of impactful fundraising campaigns and events.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive fundraiser to shape and grow individual giving, corporate and fundraising initiatives within a unique and creative charitable environment.

Link for more info and to apply 👉 https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=97fded2680826eaa&from=shareddesktop_copy

14/05/2026

Earlier this week, we welcomed the cast of Little Shop of Horrors to The Alnwick Garden, and they brought along a plant with a taste that felt right at home in The Poison Garden 🪴👀

We had a great time welcoming Seymour Krelborn and learning more about his strange and exotic plant with a sinister secret… it thrives on human blood! 😱

You can catch this darkly hilarious cult-classic musical at Northern Stage now until 23rd May, where Seymour’s fame and fortune begin to grow alongside the plant’s terrifying appetite, but at what cost?

Featuring unforgettable songs, larger-than-life characters and plenty of unexpected laughs, this is one show you won’t want to miss 🤩✨

Thank you to the cast and crew for visiting us, and for keeping Audrey II well away from the gardeners 👀🌱

Grab your tickets here: https://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/little-shop-of-horrors/

Address

The Alnwick Garden, Denwick Lane
Alnwick
NE661YU

Website

http://www.alnwickgarden.com/

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