In the garden

Although the warmth and brightness of summer is over, autumn gives us wonderful new experiences and changes to appreciate and embrace.

There are different smells in the air and new colours in the landscape. The garden at Fulham Palace brings gorgeous tones of orange, yellow, red and brown. With 600 trees ranging in age, size and species, there’s a huge variety of leaf shapes and colours to enjoy.

This year, the prolonged drought and dry conditions have put many of our trees and plants under additional stress, and some trees may lose their leaves earlier than usual. While this means the autumn display may develop a little differently this year, it is also a fascinating opportunity to observe how the garden responds to changing weather and the seasons. Look closely and you’ll still find plenty of beautiful autumn colour and interest throughout the grounds.

The walled garden continues to flower away and will do until the first frosts, providing a vibrant contrast to the changing colours of the wider garden.

Look out for:

• Our beautiful autumn leaf colour around the grounds. Ginkgo biloba, Morus alba – white mulberry, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ – purple beech, to name a few
• The effects of this year’s dry summer, with some trees showing earlier leaf loss and changing colour sooner than usual
• Late flowering displays in the walled garden still offering so much colour until the first frosts, such as dahlias, cosmos and zinnias
• Autumn harvests including squashes, kale and parsnips, with Brussels sprouts continuing to develop
• Ornamental seed heads and grasses providing much-loved interest in the borders

Find out more about our garden.

Natural play area

Our new natural play area is now open! This play area uses logs and wooden objects saved from previous tree work on site as a basis for natural play, encouraging families to connect with nature in a fun and enjoyable way. Children are encouraged to interact creatively with natural materials set in a woodland area of our botanic garden.