20th Century Garden

The 20th Century Garden is a hidden gem within the expanse of the gardens at Hampton Court Palace.

It is a peaceful setting tucked away in the corner of the palace gardens. Autumn is a perfect time to visit, when the trees begin their transformation for winter with an array of colour.

Unusual or historic varieties in the 20th Century Garden include Eucalyptus, Paperbark Birch and Paperbark Cherry. Paperbark Birches have fantastic ornamental bark and the Paperbark Cherry has incredible shiny orange/red bark which can be polished to a burnished bronze colour.

How the garden evolved

Historically, this area would have been considered part of Home Park, until 1890 when the Superintendent of Hampton Court Pleasure Gardens was handed responsibility of the park and it became an empty garden enclosure.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the garden was turned into an arboretum, a term generally used to describe a botanical tree collection. The area saw the arrival of many plants, including ornamental conifers, and several scare and unusual plants, such as a collection of rare hollies or ilex species.