After his accession in 1811, the 6th Duke laid out a new parterre immediately to the south of the 1st Duke’s Greenhouse. This was ornamented with the statue of Flora, statues from the temple at Carnac, and a ‘white cistern…from Carrar’. So it was that the essential layout of the garden was created, and it was named the French Garden.
In 1939, Duchess Mary, wife of the 10th Duke, remodelled this area and it became known as the Rose Garden. She enclosed it with a yew hedge and planted hybrid tea roses. Nearly all the statuary and ornaments have been moved. The central stone bed is now a fountain in the inner court of the house and the stone pillars which line the central path of the Rose Garden came from the inner court of the house.
We still grow some of the rose varieties Duchess Mary planted in 1939, although we have had to replace the plants and soil several times over the years. These varieties include Buff Beauty, Felicia, and Savoy Hotel. Various edging plants have been used, including lavender, but we now edge the sixteen rose beds with alpine strawberries, which are renewed every 2 years.
The four central flower beds are planted with White Phlox, which flowers later than the roses, therefore extending the season of interest.
The flower beds in front of the First Duke’s Greenhouse are home to a collection of tree peonies, which flower from April to mid-June, and were introduced by Duchess Deborah. In 2011, a small group of our garden volunteers painstakingly lifted and re-laid all the stone edging in the Rose Garden as it had become so uneven. It is now straight and level, and a testament to their hard work.
Discover more from the modern garden
Ravine and Azalea Dell
In the early 1930s, the 9th Duke’s wife, Evelyn, in collaboration with the head gardener, J. G. Weston, created the Ravine and the Azalea Dell in the south of the garden.
Serpentine Hedges
The Serpentine Hedges were created from an idea of Duchess Deborah's.
Display Greenhouse
This greenhouse is sited to the north of the First Duke's Greenhouse and has three climate zones: tropical, Mediterranean and temperate.
The Maze
Originally the site for Paxton's Great Conservatory, this garden is now home to a large yew maze.
Kitchen Garden
Chatsworth has grown its own food for centuries and all manner of fruit, salad, cut flowers and vegetables are grown in the kitchen gardens.
Snake Terrace
In 1974, the Snake Terrace was constructed in the space between the First Duke's Greenhouse and the Display House.
Sensory Garden
The Sensory Garden was an idea instigated by Lord Burlington, the 12th Duke's son.
Quebec
In 2008, the 12th Duke and Duchess re-established Quebec, a long-over-grown area below the Canal Pond.
Summer House and Golden Grove
Near the Summer House is a plot planted in gold and yellow – the Golden Grove. All the shrubs and small trees here were given by friends and neighbours of the 11th Duke and Duchess to mark their golden wedding in 1991.
Cottage Garden
The Cottage Garden was created in 1989 with topiary 'rooms' and 'furniture' created out of box, privet and yew hedges.
Arcadia
The 12th Duke and Duchess, working with the Chatsworth Garden team and three celebrated garden designers, oversaw the biggest transformation of the garden for 200 years, including a brand new landscape project: Arcadia.
Learn about the early garden
The house and garden were first constructed by Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick in 1555. The Elizabethan garden was much smaller than the modern garden is now.
Discover the 6th Duke's Garden
The 6th Duke, working with renowned gardener Joseph Paxton, made radical and pioneering changes to the Chatsworth Garden and Estate.
