Plan Your Visit » Bressingham Gardens

Ready to Welcome You as Our Gardens Open in March

We are delighted to finally be able to open the gates to the gardens now on the 27th March, along with the Steam Museum. Whilst we would normally welcome visitors to the Winter Garden from early February, there is still plenty of colour to be seen and until will cut the Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, that can also still really be enjoyed.

To pre-book tickets, please follow the link here to the Bressingham Steam Museum page.

The Gardens are now open from 28 March 2025 to mid November.

Private Guided visits are available prior arrangement – Please email erica@bressinghamgardens.com

Visiting with Dogs

We regret to inform our visitors, that unfortunately, due to steam trains running on our grounds, the public liability insurance contract will not allow dogs on site. We would love for you to be able to visit with your furry friends, and hope that Insurance companies will soon change their rules. Thank you for understanding.

Plan your weekend

Plan your visit to world famous Bressingham Gardens. Spectacular Winter Norfolk Suffolk garden visit near Anglesey Abbey and Cambridge Botanic Gardens. Make a weekend garden tour with neighbouring Fuller’s Mill, Helmingham Hall and Wyken Hall Gardens.

Steam Museum

Bressingham Gardens and Steam Experience is a unique combination arising out of the passions of founder Alan Bloom, whose profession of nurseryman and gardener and hobby of a steam powered collection of trains and traction engines led to the leisure destination of Bressingham Gardens and Steam Museum (The Steam Museum is now a charitable trust).

Here families with children can enjoy train rides into the Waveney woodland and valley and around Alan Bloom’s Dell Garden, ride on the Victorian Roundabout, the Gallopers or visit the Dad’s Army reconstruction of Warmington on Sea as shown in the ever popular TV series Dad’s Army.

For further details regarding visiting, Bressingham Steam Museum website or call on 01379 686900.

How to find us

The Bressingham Gardens lay to the west of Bressingham Garden Centre and Bressingham Steam Museum, both of which have ample car parks, although on very busy holiday weekends or event days an additional car park will be open, entry west of Bressingham Church.

The Gardens lie south of the A1066 road, 2.5 miles west of Diss, 14 miles east of Thetford.

If coming by train: our nearest train station is Diss, 3,4 miles away. There is no bus service between us and the station. Taxis are readily available. Here are a few phone numbers: Jenny Taxis +447768361144, Andy +447511199241

You might want to visit our neighbouring other beautiful gardens: Fuller’s Mill, Helmingham Hall, Wyken Hall, Cambridge Botanic Gardens, Anglesey Abbey to name just a few.

Recent News

April 2, 2024

VOLUNTEER OPEN DAY 5TH APRIL 10-12 am

The gardens here at Bressingham are beautiful, botanically rich and nationally significant. We are looking for volunteers to help look after these wonderful gardens.Please come and join our friendly garden team. We are looking for folk who love being outdoors, with a passion for gardening and or a willingness to learn.The work will be varied […]

July 21, 2023

Foggy Bottom Garden celebration and Book Launch 2nd September 2023

Often referred to as ‘ an enchanted woodland’ Foggy Bottom is the lifelong dream of Adrian and Rosemary Bloom. It grew with them, around them and their children and their passion over 60 years.Join us for a few hours of gentle beauty, enjoy the maturity of late Summer blooms, the grasses and marvellous September light […]

February 7, 2023

February Highlights in the gardens

February Highlights in the Gardens

The black and the white in contrast and harmony. Flowers of Galanthus S.Arnott are in direct colour contrast to black leaved Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens.

Winter sun makes such a difference in highlighting form and colours , but this pale yellow Witch Hazel( which Hazel ? ), Hamamelis x intermedia Pallida.

If Narcissus Rijnvelds Early sensation was called Early Spring Magic , perhaps it would be more widely planted. It is usually in flower about a mont healer than other Daffodils and is a real joy each late winter.

On the verge of flowering of some weeks , this annually trimmed erica x darleyensis Silbeschmelze is about to be massed in white flowers and buzzing with bees.

Underplanted with Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens and Eranthis hyemalis, this is a 40 year old Hamamelis which flowers freely every winter, It is named Jelena , after plantswoman Jelena de Belder, and is one of the best of all witch Hazels.

A low growing conifer whose finely cut foliage is bright green in summer , is now in late winter a district bronze particularly in a sunny situation.Originating from Siberia, Microbiota decussata is of course very hardy.

The “aconites” are’ here today and almost gone tomorrow’ depending on the early spring temperatures, but still surprise ( partly because you forgot where you planted them) with their vibrant early show.

For contrast this Hamamelis x intermedia Diane would be best against a bluish coloured evergreen such as a Blue Spruce (Picea pungens selection), or a blue foliaged Fir such as Abies procera Glauca.

Flower Power for almost any size of garden. Look for Helleborus hybrid Walberton Rosemary for a winter long display of stunning flowers.

The Witch Hazels come in various colours , There’s even one called ‘Orange Peel “ and you can see why from the shredded look of some of the shredded looking petals that make up the flower, This is a cultivar at Foggy Bottom called Frederic.

The recent cold wether has done some damage to plants in the gardens and also delayed flowering. Here Daphne bholua Jaqueline Postill lost its leaves in the frost but is still waiting to flower when the weather warms up a little.

Tight in bud and likely to stay there is Magnolia stellata Waterlily , although the force of nature will soon be unstoppable and the double lightly scented flowers will be open and revealed

Plants can be looked at on their own but are best when they can be planted in combination with others.The grass-like foliage of golden leaved Luzula sylvatica Aurea( a rush ) and Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens ( a member of the lily family) serve as foils to the early flowers of Galanthus S. Arnott.

Making a rather speeding and prickly bush which needs some shade in the garden, is one of the stalwarts of the Mahonia family , Mahinia bealii which has racemes of sweetly fragrant flowers about now.

The Summer Garden even in February has interest as the Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire blends into the distant “fire “ in the Winter Garden. Upright conifers provide the structure.

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Testimonials

September 6, 2021

1/9/2021 My first visit at 83, why has it taken me so long to visit, when I used to organize trips for Brookshy Garden Club (Leicestershire). the best I have seen in my lifetime (to date). Thank you, Eric Abell

July 15, 2021

“ Stunning, memorable, a true paradise. A place which is now on our favourites list to be visited regularly now that we are retired. Inspiring ideas too, to take home and emulate.”

June 29, 2021

Most definitely the best gardens we have visited, with amazing trees, shrubs and plants brought together in great displays.

June 29, 2021

Absolutely beautiful – breathtaking in fact. So pleased I made the journey here!

September 16, 2020

“ A stunning garden, even as summer fades— the garden is still in full bloom! Amazing work”

Bressingham Hall and Glamping Booking Page