Council run gardens in Northern Ireland are free to visit. National Trust gardens are payable on admission. Offering beautiful green spaces to wander round, gardens in Northern Ireland make for an enjoyable day out with friends and family. Visiting a garden is a great way to connect with nature and seek inspiration for your own garden, no matter how big or small. You’ll discover plants you’ve never heard of and find wonderful planting combinations that you might want to recreate at home. Here I have shared a few of my favourite gardens with some useful links for further information.
King’s Coronation Garden, Newtownabbey
Situated in Hazelbank Park Newtownabbey, close to the shores of Belfast Lough, the King’s Coronation Garden was officially opened by King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May 2023. This garden is free to enter with ample parking nearby.
Lady Dixon Park, Belfast
Each July Belfast hosts the Rose Week festival at Lady Dixon Park in the south side of the city. You can visit the park for free to take in the spectacle of the 45,000 roses that are in bloom between July and September.
National Trust, Rowallane
Owned by the National Trust and located near the town of Saintfield, about a 25 minute drive from Belfast, Rowallane, is a mixture of formal and informal gardens complete with a cafe and with the added bonus of being dog friendly. Admission is payable and parking on site.
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
Royal Hillsborough
Situated in the picturesque village of Royal Hillsborough, a short drive from Belfast, the gardens are a horticultural delight and include, amongst other things, a rose garden and walled garden. Admission is payable, there is ample parking and a reasonably priced cafe.