Our new opening times are now in operation
Opening Times
Visitor Information
View our visit us page to find out more about visiting Knoll Gardens
The Garden
About the Garden
Since 1994 internationally acclaimed gardener Neil Lucas and his team have created a wonderful naturalistic garden, a haven for both people and wildlife. Seamlessly blending graceful grasses, adding drama with striking perennials and form and structure with mature trees and shrubs, the gardens offer a wealth of interest and diverse habitat throughout the seasons.
A perpetual calendar of natural delights
Enchanting vistas and intimate alcoves surprise and delight as you explore the winding paths that snake around the naturalistic gardens at Knoll. Framed by stunning, specimen/unusual trees and shrubs and punctuated with seasonal bulbs, a plethora of striking ornamental grasses and tall perennials provide form, texture and vibrant hues throughout the year. As the natural rhythm of the seasons progress different plants provide new focus, reaching their peak as the trees and shrubs adopt their stunning autumn colours, creating a beautiful backdrop for the grasses – magically illuminated by the low season sun.
Low maintenance planting that thrives whatever the weather
Although subtly merging, a distinctive series of garden areas have been created, using plants suited to particular growing conditions, following the ‘right plant right place’ ethos. Putting to one side ideas of controlling nature and instead working in partnership with it, Knoll has tried to create a space which not only evokes a sense of wellbeing but also provides a home for wildlife. The different areas have been sustainably planted with the minimum of resources to achieve the maximum – and often quite spectacular – effect. The happy result of ‘low input, high impact’ naturalistic gardening.
Vitality and versatility
Used in informal groupings and meadow style plantings, the stunning ornamental grasses, for which Knoll is renowned, are seamlessly interwoven with complimentary perennials and bulbs, which celebrate the grasses versatility, durability and captivating rhythms.
Writing in his first book ‘Designing with Grasses’, Neil Lucas notes “Understanding grasses’ origins and their contributions to the wider ecosystem inspires us to see our gardens differently. Grasses can offer us insight into a way of working – an approach to gardening that combines a focus on adaptability, ease of use and sheer simplicity with the most strikingly beautiful of effects”.
Framed by the unusual, mature trees and shrubs, grasses are perhaps the star performers at Knoll – which is also home to the National Plant Collection of hardy Pennisetum. The distinctive areas within the gardens, whether it be the Shady, Damp and Water Gardens, the Sunny, Sedge and Dry Meadows, or perhaps the Dragon Garden or Decennium Border, are the result of the best suited and most effective grasses having been planted in the appropriate conditions – the results speak for themselves.
Visit Us
We are delighted to welcome visitors to the garden and nursery during our opening hours.
If you cannot make a visit or might just like to get a flavour of how the garden looks through the seasons, why not take a Virtual Garden Tour.
Habitats for wildlife
With the sympathetic naturalistic approach, and the creation of a range of different garden habitats, comes a fascinating variety of wildlife, some of which are depicted in our gradually expanding online wildlife galleries. Bees, moths, butterflies and a myriad of insects thrive, each drawn to their own corner of Knoll and homing in on favourite plants for nectar, food and shelter. In the summer months, Dragonflies and Damselflies are attracted by the garden’s ponds and delight visitors with splashes of iridescent colour and in the cooler seasons, many birds find their home among the garden’s trees, shrubs and seed-heads.
Diversity of habitat is key for both wildlife and the wider environment, and the positive effects of a naturalistic approach to gardening is becoming very clear. Our charity, the Knoll Gardens Foundation, was founded to better understand and promote the benefits that Knoll’s gardening style brings to both gardeners and wildlife. With a dedicated team of volunteers, and in partnership with several wildlife organisations, the charity is learning more about the relationship between Knoll’s planting styles and natural biodiversity. Wildlife surveys to date have shown just how crucial planting can be in terms of sustaining certain wildlife and there are exciting new plans to further develop this area of research.
Anyone wishing to learn more about this valuable work please visit the foundation page.
The Knoll Gardens Story
From carrot field to garden…
In the nineteen seventies, Wimborne Botanic Garden – as Knoll was then known – first opened to the public. John and Enid May, the creators of the garden, arrived in the late nineteen sixties and began planting the garden on what had been a carrot field alongside an existing market garden and nursery called ‘The Knoll’. Among the new plantings, many hybrid Rhododendrons were raised along with the first phygelius (cape fuchsia) hybrid, named Phygelius African Queen.
New garden areas & the BBC…
In 1988 new owners, Sally & Kevin Martin, changed the name to Knoll Gardens, mirroring the name of the original nursery. New ponds and a formal garden were developed, with the gardens appearing on BBC TV’s Gardeners World for the first time – the beginning of a happy friendship.
The naturalistic approach…
In 1994, Knoll Gardens came into the care of Neil Lucas and John and Janet Flude. They brought with them many interesting & unusual plants – including a number of grasses.
Neil continued developing his naturalistic style, using the existing backdrop of rare and usual trees and shrubs as a foil. He planted many grasses and perennials in informal plantings intended to match the right plant with the right place.
A charity and Chelsea Flower Show…
In 1998 Ross Humphrey joined Knoll on a part time basis while still at school. Such was his interest in plants and their production that he quickly rose to become nursery manager.
For ten years, from 2002 to 2011, the nursery exhibited at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show and was delighted to be awarded ten prestigious Gold Medals for its displays of grasses.
In 2008 Neil and Ross started a small charity, the Knoll Gardens Foundation. The charity is tasked with achieving a better understanding of the relationship between Knoll’s naturalistic style and the gardens wildlife.
Leading UK grass specialist…
As the UK’s leading ornamental grass specialist, Neil and Ross were spending much time developing the fast growing business and expanding what had become a significant mail order service, that continues to be supported by a comprehensive and well respected website.
In 2012 Neil and Ross became joint Directors of the newly incorporated Knoll Gardens Ltd.
Today and tomorrow…
Today the gardens continue to evolve with projects such as the Dry Meadow and the Rain Garden, while 2023 saw the completion of the Dragon Gardens replanting in the ‘Prairie’ style. Future projects both large and small are planned, include the redesign of the Bark Circle borders during 2026/2027, to become a low meadow style mix of grasses and perennials.
Get Our Newsletter
Sign up to receive planting advice, latest offers, special discounts and news and event updates