If spring is the major season of interest here at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, autumn runs it a close second. The estate is famous for the springtime displays from its historic plantings in the 1800s of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, camellias, daffodils, snowdrops, bluebells and others.  

September on the estate sees the first signs of the amazing firework display of autumnal colour. We expect autumn to come quite early this year due to the very dry summer we’ve been experiencing.  

The gardens are studded with an array of reds, yellow and oranges, but focussed particularly in a few key areas. As we head into October and November, the aptly named Maple Walk will be ablaze with colourful acer foliage and the nearby Oak Walk also has some interesting red oaks, while tri-coloured oaks can also be found elsewhere in the gardens.  

Our conifer collection in the Pinetum provides interest all year round but autumn is the time when the many different coloured and shaped cones start to catch the eye.  

You’ll also be able to spot specimen trees including Liquidambar, Nyssa, Euonymus alatus and Cornus kousa along the lakeside banks, all having excellent seasonal interest. Our finest Liquidambar formosana for example can be found at the south east corner of Engine Pond and has just been granted Champion status for its unusual height. 

It’s not just the coloured foliage that steals the show.  

The berries on our Sorbus trees and holly bushes should persist into October in a good year. It’s also worth checking out a couple of areas to see some unusual bark. Birch Grove at the bottom of Bluebell Bank has a variety of birch trees including Betula utilis and Betula nigra, both of which have stunning bark. On the other side of the lakes, Maple Walk has a number of Acer griseum trees and other Snake Bark Maples to enjoy too. And why not have a look at the peeling, multi-coloured bark of the giant Eucalyptus trees, down from Leonardslee on the way to the lakes in the valley below. 

One of visitors’ favourite views in autumn is to stand at the southern end of Waterfall Pond and look north, mesmerised by the autumnal display reflecting across the still lake surface. Elsewhere the view from the Rotunda looking across to Mossy Ghyll is also a sight to behold at any time of the year.