Cascades Gardens

About the garden

Cascades Gardens is set within a spectacular four-acre natural landscape featuring cliffs, an old limestone quarry, a ruined corn mill, a mill pond and a mill race. In the wet season, the garden has many waterfalls, and the sound of water can be heard wherever you go. During the summer, the stream becomes just a gentle trickle.

Inspired by Japanese gardens and Buddhist philosophy, the gardens are planted in a very natural style, offering a pleasing combination of rocks, water and planting. There are 20 quiet, secluded areas to sit, among which are a Japanese water garden and tea garden. These areas reflect some of the gardens visited in Japan by the owner of Cascade Gardens, including a raked gravel (Karesansui) garden, and have been designed with meditation in mind.

Other highlights include winding paths, high viewpoints from the cliff and hillside and a Bonsai centre with Chinese and Japanese trees, pots and tools.