Spotlight on the Gardens: The Tudor Garden

July 21 2018 | Attractions Garden

Running alongside the Yew Maze and bordering the outer moat of the Castle lies the Tudor Garden, a series of small, sheltered gardens with neatly clipped hedges.

Laid out as they might have been in the time of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, these simple gardens feature a Tudor style herb garden; a paved fountain garden with a profusion of Ballerina shrub roses; and a chess garden which boasts chess pieces cut from golden yew as well as an astrolabe dating from the reign of Queen Anne.

The Tudor Garden Herb Garden

When planting the herb garden in the Tudor Garden, we choose herbs dependent on the section, i.e. herbs for decking, herbs for strewing, herbs for the kitchen and herbs for the physic.

Herbs for decking include the likes of angelica, lilies, hollyhock, heartsease, wallflower, lavender, pinks, marigold, snapdragon and rosemary.

Herbs for strewing were fragrant plants used in medieval times that were strewn on the floor to add a welcome scent to the room in a bid to mask bodily and other odours. For example, lavender, mullein, cotton lavender, marjoram, basil and sweet fennel.

Herbs for the kitchen include a wide variety such as saffron, fennel, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, tansy, marigold and borage.

Herbs for the physic were traditionally used for medicinal and healing purposes, such as sweet woodruff, feverfew, peony, lavender, balm, southernwood, rosemary, borage and hellebore.

Read more about the stunning Hever Castle gardens.