❶ Earlscliffe House
House entrance and immediate driveway planting.
Stops on the garden tour
Pick an area. Each one has a short summary first, then deeper notes if you want them.
❷ Earlscliffe Drive (Upper & Lower)
Further driveway planting including various rhododendrons.
❸ Fiacre’s Fell Drive
Some tender plants, many planted since 2000.
❹ Baron’s Brae Drive
Mixture of established and newer plantings.
❺ Baron’s Brae Lawn 1
Start of lawn and planting next to orchard.
❻ Baron’s Brae Lawn 2
More open lawn with wild flower meadow and a unique specimen of a palm.
❼ Lookout Area
Views, wind, and fern-friendly planting.
❽ Lower Garden
Different conditions with some ferns, magnolias and areas of new planting
❾ Aralia Garden
Tender palms and aloes, and architectural plants.
❿ Earlscliffe Lawn
Mixture of lawn and wild flower meadows, dramatic views and bold seasonal colour.
⓫ Eastern Woodland
Woodland atmosphere and remarkable tree specimens.
Tour notes
❶ Earlscliffe House
The house entrance and immediate driveway planting.
Notable species
Sciadopitys verticillata, Podocarpus nivalis, Mitraria coccinea, Pseudopanax ferox
What to notice
- Microclimate cues: shelter, exposure, warmth, moisture.
- Structure: what holds the space together year-round.
- Seasonal change: what shifts most through the year.
❷ Earlscliffe Drive (Upper & Lower)
The main driveway into the garden. This stop is in two parts: the first part covers the top end of the driveway showing off the Rhododendron collection in late spring and early summer, and the New Zealand Christmas tree at the height of summer. The second part of the driveway is the lower section, which has a more of an 'entrance' feel to the garden itself. This second part is usually shown after the Fiacre’s Fell Drive.
Notable species
Metrosideros excelsa, Agave ferox, various Rhododendron, Fascicularia bicolor, Erica canaliculata
❸ Fiacre’s Fell Drive
This part of the garden was mostly created from 1997 onwards and is now maturing.
Notable species
Echium wildpretii, Echium candicans, Magnolia, Aloe striatula, Puya chilensis, Tetrapanax papyrifer (rice-paper plant).
❹ Baron’s Brae Drive
This part of the garden was mostly created from 1987 onwards from an original orchard.
Notable species
Erica pageana, Embothrium coccineum (Chilean fire bush), Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ (weeping blue atlas cedar), Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan Palm), Davidia involucrata (handkerchief tree), Phoenix canariensis
❺ Baron’s Brae Lawn 1
This part of the garden was mostly created from 1987 onwards from an original orchard.
Notable species
Callitris rhomboidea, Musa basjoo, Furcraea parmentieri
❻ Baron’s Brae Lawn 2
This part of the garden was mostly created from 1987 onwards from an original orchard and a previous tennis court.
Notable species
Juania australis, Kalopanax pictus, Tetradium daniellii (Bee Tree), Nothofagus antarctica, Agave ferox, Chamaerops humilis.
❼ Lookout Area
This stop is about the views, the wind exposure, and the fern-friendly planting pockets.
Notable species
Cyathea dealbata and other ferns, Rhododendron falconeri, bamboo, Tetrapanax papyrifer (rice-paper plant).
❽ Lower Garden
This stop is about the different conditions in the lower garden, such as increased moisture and shelter, and how that creates a distinct plant palette.
Notable species
Araucaria bidwillii, Drimys winteri, Dacrydium cupressinum, Pseudopanax ferox, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Correa backhousiana.
❾ Aralia Garden
This stop is about the tender palms and aloes, and architectural plants in the Aralia Garden, and how it creates a strongly themed area.
Notable species
Dicksonia antarctica, Aralia spinosa, Cordyline baueri, Phoenix canariensis, Jubaea chilensis, Cephalotaxus harringtonia, Aloe polyphylla, Puya chilensis, Chamaerops humilis, Aloe maculata, Nolina nelsonii
❿ Earlscliffe Lawn
This stop is about the mixture of lawn and wild flower meadows, dramatic views and bold seasonal colour.
Notable species
Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ (Irish Yew), Strobilanthes atropurpurea.
⓫ Eastern Woodland
This stop is about the woodland atmosphere created by the planting in the Eastern Woodland, and the remarkable tree specimens that can be found there.
Notable species
Taiwania cryptomerioides (coffin tree), Torreya nucifera, Lomatia ferruginea, Tetraclinis articulata, Wollemia nobilis, Magnolia, Araucaria araucana, Agathis robusta (kauri pine), Liquidambar styraciflua, Golden Elm, Luma apiculata (Chilean myrtle), Melianthus major, Paulownia tomentosa, Anopterus glandulosus.
Page last updated: 18 Jul 2026