Green Island Gardens

Park

Explorer Tom

Green Island Gardens near Ardleigh is twenty acres of plants behaving as though Essex issued them a passport to somewhere warmer. Follow Fiona Edmond's paths through structured beds and woodland, and you may begin to suspect that the camellias have a private committee deciding which visitor deserves the best display; mine rejected my hat immediately. Fiona designed these private gardens after she and her husband bought Green Island in 1996. The site was once part of Ardleigh Park, and an older orchard survived among the land she reshaped. Today there are terraces, a Japanese garden, water and gravel gardens, island beds and a nursery. Plant Heritage recognises its collections of witch hazels and autumn and winter flowering camellias. That is plenty to explore before the tea room starts lobbying for a second vote. The gardens are genuinely open to visitors, although this is a ticketed garden rather than an always-open public park. The operator lists a season from 13 January to 15 December 2026; during April to October it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, plus Sundays and bank holidays from 11am to 4pm. Admission is bought at the entrance. The nursery and tea room may be used without a garden ticket, and dogs are limited to assistance dogs. Find it on Park Road, Ardleigh, near Colchester; the operator warns that some navigation devices miss the entrance, so check its directions before setting out. Autumn colour is a particular pleasure here, but the planting is intended to carry interest through the year. Go slowly enough to see the odd leaves, then let the tea room negotiate your surrender.