The Garden
“With Breathtaking views over the City of Wells and the Vale of Avalon, this six acre family garden planted sympathetically within its landscape, provides a stunning combination of vistas accented with wildlife ponds, water features, sculpture, and 1½ acre walled garden sunken garden, gazebo, rose garden, lime walk; borders planted to give colour and interest in every season, spring bulbs, irises, roses, fernery, salvias, and several seated areas to relax and enjoy the views and garden.
With this unique and truly unforgettable back drop, the garden has interesting sculpture artistically integrated into various areas as part of the creative design and complementing many of the outdoor seating areas. Stoberry garden, and its five acres to explore and enjoy, is a truly special place to visit.
Whenever you visit this extraordinary garden, take the time to really explore the dramatic views and the wonderful sense of space:…you won’t be disappointed, for this is one of Somerset’s most unforgettable viewing points.
Features in National Garden Magazines, on TV, in the ‘Secret Gardens of Somerset’, in Somerset Life and featured in various books and publications, also open for the National Garden Scheme.
Booking A Visit
The standard entrance fee is £6.50 per person. Garden entrace is provided free when you have purchased one of our special teas.
A 'garden only' visit is available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week from 10.00 am to 3 pm. This is subject to change, so please check available dates on the booking process. The booking system provides for up to 20 people per half hour interval and a maximum stay of two and a half hours.
NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES TO BE BROUGHT ONTO THE PREMISES AND NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED.
The entry includes one free self-service cup of tea or coffee.
If you have a voucher for the garden visit please enter the voucher code in the order process. Your booking confirmed only on receipt of payment or by registering a valid Voucher Security Code.
Short History of the garden
We started gardening at Stoberry in 1997. We decided to design the garden with three different areas:
The first area as you enter Stoberry is planted in a relaxed naturalistic manner, being careful not to detract from the spectacular views that this part of the garden offers. The main feature in this area is the pond. When we arrived there were no water features, and by creating these we have attracted a variety of wildlife. You will also find various sitting areas so one can enjoy the outstanding views.
The walled garden on the east side is completely different and is divided into two areas: as you enter the walled garden, the right of the driveway used to be a very rough area with thistles and nettles that had been kept as a field and fenced to contain sheep. This is now the open part of the walled garden with one area leading you through with a view to the next. This links to the rose garden.
The sunken garden on the left as you enter the walled garden is a much more contained area, and you need to wander around the pathways and explore.
When starting out to think of the design for the garden, the advice given to me by friends was to break the walled garden up into several ‘rooms’, which I know would have worked successfully, but I feel we are so lucky to have the space and because of my African background I wanted to enjoy this feature. So the design has evolved from that. Gardening is great fun. The exciting reality about gardening is that everyone’s opinions of the way a garden should look, differ. I have always felt it is a bit like cooking….some people like spicy food, others bland, and who is to say which one is right!
I am trying to garden in a balance with nature, which requires a lot of patience! For me a successful garden is one that has interest throughout the year. That is my aim in this garden; that the freshness of spring daffodils leads through to tulips and iris’s, followed by the summer roses and so this progresses through the year to the autumn colours
Frances Young