The 15 most blooming beautiful places to see wisteria in the UK

The serene collection of gardens nestled within Peckham Rye Park remain something of a local secret, despite the crowds of Londoners that descend on the adjacent Common on a sunny weekend. Head to the Sexby Garden in late spring to stroll through magnificent corridors of delicate lilac wisteria blossom on the garden’s wooden pergola.

Impressive blue and purple blossoms adorn several of Cambridge’s historic colleges come springtime, with notable specimens found climbing up the walls of the Master’s Lodge at Jesus College and twined around the fences outside Sidney Sussex College. Yet none is quite as magnificent as the Chinese wisteria covering the south-facing wall in Christ’s College’s first court, which is thought to be around 200 years old.

The sweet scent of wisteria fills the air at Nymans, where the elegant shrubs are dotted throughout the gardens – including one that’s more than a hundred years old. Elsewhere in the grounds of the medieval-style manor house, eagle-eyed visitors can spot snake’s head fritillary – an exquisite wildflower native to the UK, with a delicate chequerboard patterning. 

The gorgeous wisteria arbour at this 20-acre private garden in Devon features twelve different varieties of the plant in deep purples, lilacs, blues and pinks. They’re all artfully trained around a wooden pergola, and come spring, they create an enveloping tunnel of fragrant blossoms. The folksy hangout also hosts open-air theatre throughout the year; the verdant backdrop is perfect for a spot of Shakespeare. 

The ten-acre Aberglasney Gardens of this Grade II-listed medieval mansion were painstakingly restored at the turn of the century, and are now regarded as some of the finest in Wales, with dozens of styles on display from formal and woodland to exotic and modern. The Sunken Garden’s 30-metre-long wisteria arbour is inspired by Japan’s famous Kawachi Fuji Garden and features Japanese wisteria with long racemes of blue blossoms.

The garden of this National Trust-owned Edwardian house on Scotland’s Galloway coast is a Japan-inspired labyrinth of stepping stones and wisteria-covered pathways. Broughton House’s coffee shop is draped in a vibrant cloak of purplish-blue Japanese wisteria blossoms in the late spring, and the garden also boasts fantastic views over the port of Kirkcudbright.

Adjacent to the town’s famous castle, The Alnwick Garden is best known for its huge Cherry Orchard and fragrant Rose Garden, but it’s also a great place to find wisteria. Fans of the captivating climber should head to the Ornamental Garden, where it can be seen creeping across the archways over the garden’s gates. Check out the garden’s handy calendar of what’s in bloom to help plan your visit. 

As well as boasting the world’s longest grapevine within its impressive gardens, this historic royal palace is home to a breathtaking wisteria tunnel, where several different colours of blossom can be found dangling from an expansive archway. Another impressive Chinese specimen, planted in around 1840, completely covers one of Hampton Court Palace’s walls.

Along with vibrant beds of bluebells nestled within the Serpentine Wood, the grounds of this National Trust-owned English country house are filled with wisteria. Perch on one of the deckchairs scattered around the Abbey’s Central Yard and admire the vibrant white and lilac wisteria blossoms that line its walls and archways.

Set within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the peaceful Grade I-listed gardens of Iford Manor are filled with Chinese wisteria. A specimen covering the front of the house is rumoured to be one of the oldest wisterias in the UK, and its fragrant scent in full bloom is unsurpassed. For the full wisteria experience, book a stay in the manor’s converted medieval stables, which now take the form of a handsome three-bedroom cottage.

Wisteria is one of the signature plants at the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship gardens in Surrey, with several varieties found around the 240-acre site. Lilac-flowering Japanese wisteria adorns the rustic bridge across the ponds in The Rock Garden, while the new Wisteria Walk planted in 2018 features white and royal purple varieties that have been trained into each other as they grow, producing a stunning tunnel of multicoloured blossoms.

The gardens at this English Heritage-owned country estate showcase three centuries of landscape design, and are a highlight of Wrest Park's Grade I-listed estate. In full bloom the enormous wisterias that sprawl across the walls of the Italian Garden and Pear Orchard are truly awe-inspiring. Pick up a book from the hidden second-hand bookshop in the Bothy and read a few chapters under the fragrant petals. Bliss. 

This magnificent wisteria archway in the gardens of this Oxfordshire Tudor estate has long been one of its main attractions. Visitors eagerly await ‘wisteria watch’ updates on Greys Court’s social media accounts before flocking to the gardens in late spring to see the 130-year-old specimen in full bloom, when its bright blue flowers and heady scent fill the walled garden.

This tranquil nine-acre green space has stood at the heart of Eastcote for more than 500 years. Lovingly maintained by a group of local volunteers, it boasts a tunnelled walkway abundant with purple wisteria blossoms alongside golden laburnum. While you’re there, spot Speckled Wood butterflies in the 11-acre meadow and say hi to the frogs and ladybirds in the bug hotel.

Just a 30-minute drive from Oxford, Waterperry Gardens is a perfectly-preened oasis and the ideal spot to cop a load of wisteria. Make a beeline for the formal garden, which is home to a long, whimsical tunnel festooned with the elegant flowers. Conveniently, anyone on ‘wisteria watch’ can check their socials for updates on when it’s reaching peak bloom.