RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2026!
Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens have been shortlisted for the RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2026, under the theme; Celebrating Nature.
The RHS Garden of the Year award recognises gardens that create meaningful connections with the natural world, something that has long shaped life across the Leonardslee Estate.
From ancient woodland and lakeside planting to wildlife habitats and seasonal change, the gardens are managed not only for horticultural beauty but as a living landscape where nature continues to thrive.
Visitors who take part in the vote will also be entered into RHS prize draw to win a £100 RHS Garden gift voucher.
A Landscape Shaped by Nature
Across 240 acres of Grade I listed woodland gardens, Leonardslee works with the landscape rather than against it.
Woodland habitats are carefully protected, with standing deadwood and fallen trees retained where safe to support fungi, insects and small mammals. Brash piles, dead hedges and undisturbed areas provide shelter for birds and invertebrates, while bird, bat and owl boxes sit throughout the estate. Along the lakesides, kingfisher nesting boxes and hibernacula create further refuge for wildlife.
Seasonal planting is approached with biodiversity in mind. Wildflower areas and longer meadow grasses support pollinators through spring and summer, while seed heads remain through Winter to provide food and shelter during colder months. Bee hives in the Apiary within the Orchard continue to support pollination across the landscape, alongside early flowering bulbs that provide one of the season’s first food sources.
Behind the scenes, conservation work continues throughout the year. Green waste from the estate is composted and returned to the soil, peat-free compost is used wherever possible and rainwater harvesting systems help support the gardens during drier periods.
The result is a landscape that changes constantly with the seasons, rich in birdsong, wildlife, colour and quiet moments of connection with nature.
The result is not a static picture but something far more alive: a place that breathes with the seasons.
And moving through it all, the wallabies remain familiar, unexpected, and entirely part of Leonardslee’s rhythm.
Vote for Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens
If Leonardslee has stayed with you, in a view, a walk, a season, a feeling... then this is a simple way to be part of our next chapter.
