Seaforde Gardens
RHS Partner Garden
Free RHS Member days
10am–5pm (opens at 12 noon on Sunday), daily, 12 April–30 September
About the garden
Seaforde Gardens are situated within the historic demesne of Seaforde in County Down, which has been a family home for almost 400 years. The hidden, microclimate gardens boast Ireland’s oldest living hornbeam maze and support an illustrious collection of plants. Several of these plants have been carefully collected from around the globe, including China, Vietnam, India and Australasia, thanks to the travels of keen plantsman Patrick Forde.
The gardens feature an arboretum containing champion trees and rare species. Seaforde holds a National Collection of Eucryphias, with more than 20 glorious species and cultivars grown on site. It is also home to some of the very first Sequoiadendron giganteum to be grown in Ireland during the 1850s and 1860s. Planted under the direction of the Rt Hon. Colonel William Forde MP, these stately giants can be found in the Pheasantry. One champion tree in the Pheasantry is the formidable, vertically branched Crimean pine, which stands more than 100ft in height.
Facilities
- Assistance dogs only
- Children’s play area
- Toilets
Key features
- Arboretum
- National Plant Collections
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.