Courtyard Garden
At the heart of the Garden Museum is our courtyard garden.
Designed by Dan Pearson as an ‘Eden’ of rare plants, the garden is inspired by John Tradescant’s journeys as a plant collector. Taking advantage of the sheltered, warm space, Dan has created a green retreat in response to the bronze and glass architecture, conjuring up a calm, reflective atmosphere. This is intended to be a garden in which to take your time.
Among the foliage in the courtyard garden you’ll find the tombs of the Tradescants, as well as Captain William Bligh, captain of the infamous ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage.
Front Gardens
Our front garden was designed by Christopher Bradley-Hole an architect who retrained as a garden designer. He proposed a new forecourt formed by yew hedges, which invite visitors to enter and wait for friends or look back at the towers of Lambeth Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament.
Just adjacent to this is St Mary’s Garden, a free public space maintained by our garden volunteers. Since 2019, a collaboration with Wolves Lane Flower Company has seen St Mary’s Garden transformed into an experimental cutting garden. Flowers grown here are cut for display in the Museum, or for sale in bunches in our Shop.
