Azalea Displays in Richmond Park's Isabella Plantation

Richmond's Secret Garden Stages a Ravishing Azalea Display

Visitors to Richmond Park, the 2,500 acre Royal park west of London, usually miss the fabulous Isabella Plantation. Unless you are in the know, it simply looks like a fenced off wood, not open to the public. And even when the garden is in full bloom, its brilliant displays are not visible from outside the fence.

Once an unpromising and boggy area of the park, the garden was established from the 1950s onward. It has three ponds and several different habitats spread over 42 acres. There is color and bloom throughout the year but my favorite season is early spring when the azaleas are glorious.

How to Find the Isabella Plantation

By Bus From Putney Station, catch the No.85 bus toward Kingston. Walk down Ladderstile Road to the Ladderstile pedestrian gate. Turn right on the park's ring road and walk uphill to the Broomfield Hill parking. A path across the road leads to the Plantation.
By Car The Broomfield Parking Lot is between the Robin Hood and Kingston Gates.
Find on the park map