Visitors following the narrow paths can seek out the pond and large rockery almost hidden within the woods. There are many delights to be found between the large moss-covered rocks where acers, ferns, and hostas grow in abundance.
The Woodland Garden is also home to many interesting trees. One such tree is the Stewartia pseudocamellia, with its jigsaw-like bark and beautiful white flowers. Visitors can also look out for the large specimen of Nothofagus fusca, a Southern Beech endemic to the forests of New Zealand.
Flowering starts early in the woodland garden and provides a colourful spectacle. The yellow winter aconites appear in January, followed in quick succession by carpets of snowdrops, bluebells, and wild garlic. These are interspersed with hellebores, dog-toothed violets and the occasional Trillium. Visitors in late winter and early spring will notice a very prevalent scent with the flowering of Daphnes, Mahonias and Christmas Box.
Many flowering dogwoods are covered in their distinctive white blooms in mid-summer, followed by a strange strawberry-like fruit. Later still, large areas of hydrangeas provide stunning displays with their azure blue flowers, a consequence of the acid soil.
