December at The Walled Garden – A Festive End to 2025
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Well, here it is, the final month of 2025! December comes with its own festive joys, but the gardens are seeing some real seasonal beauty. In November we saw the first frosts, which brought some wonderful sights throughout the grounds. But here’s what’s in store for December at The Walled Garden.
From the gardens…
For now, most of the gardens have been tucked away for their winter rest. “The Square Garden was given more time this year before we began to dig it out – which is a big task, and the EMA students are involved with getting that done. We needed to remove all the perennial weeds and the annual plants that were growing there over this past season.
“It’s ready for us to start planting again after the last frosts, so around April or May time. We are making a new plan for the Square Garden in 2026 with lots of different plants and flowers. The students will also help us to plant these when the time comes, and we’re looking forward to trying something new in what is a key part of the gardens.” – Head Gardener Martin Mellersh
Next, the students will continue the Willow Walk project, over in the animal acre and family area – weaving the willows! This can take quite some time to do so will be something they work on up to Christmas and in the new year.
Martin shared some more exciting news about developments which our visitors will get to enjoy in 2026 for the new season: “A big project we are making a start on this month is to expand our Garden Centre. We moved it next to our entrance hut earlier this year and now we want to extend it to allow us to stock more varieties of plants and shrubs for the public to pick-up when they visit. A lot of work went into installing the new gravel and picket fence last year, and we’re looking forward to improving this area further”
It doesn’t stop there – another job on the to-do list for the gardens team is the Bog Garden! A huge task, but an important one. At time of writing, this work won’t be started until after Christmas, but the plan is to lower it, to improve health of the plants. At the moment, it doesn’t get as damp as we’d like it to be for the plants that are growing there. Once it has been lowered, the ground in this area will become more of a bog. Updates to follow!
Animal Acre
Over in Animal Acre, there’s new arrivals, and festive plans! Recently, Chrissy welcomed two new Golden Dutch Bantams chicks. They are too young to be on public display right now so they are living under heat until they are old enough to move outside. We look forward to them joining the others when they’re ready. Fun fact!: There are many plumage colour-varieties recognised for the breed, and Dutch Bantams are often described as friendly, active and curious – making them popular for hobbyists, small-space coops or ornamental flocks. They always catch the eye of visitors walking around the animal enclosures.
Also, in the bug and reptile shed, there are currently nine Bearded Dragon eggs waiting to hatch – a full dragon army will be here on site! (well, not really, but it’s fun to imagine we’ve gone all Game of Thrones here in Moreton for a bit…). Anyway, incubation takes around 50 days, so we are expecting to see the first hatch just after Christmas, and look forward to sharing them with you!
Chrissy said: “Any eggs that successfully hatch will be rehomed once they are 8 weeks old. This process is great for the EMA students as they get to watch the baby dragons grow and how to care for them before they go on to their new homes.”
Chrissy also has some very exciting news of her own to share, as she will be heading off on maternity leave in February!
Chrissy added: “We’ve put all breeding on hold for now. Once I return from maternity leave, I’ll be picking this programme back up and extending our Animal Acre family!” Congratulations Chrissy!
In the café…
The fire has been roaring, and the taste of Christmas is fully underway. From Afternoon teas (more on that below), gingerbread hot chocolates, and, our FESTIVE MENU – available from TODAY – the Dovecote is the perfect stop for breakfast, lunch, snacks and sweet treats.
Coming Up
Festive Afternoon Teas
Our Festive Afternoon Teas returned on Saturday 29th November! Available from 11am every day you can add a little sparkle to your cosy catch-up with friends or treat for a loved one.
You’ll be served a selection of freshly made finger sandwiches with seasonal fillings alongside some luxurious sweet treats and pastries, plus a pot of your favourite tea.
Whether you’re sharing it with family or friends, our Festive Afternoon Teas will bring the Christmas spirit to your festive season and provide you an unforgettable treat in our picturesque setting of The Walled Garden.
Booking is essential and is kindly asked to be made at least a minimum of 24 hours in advance. A lot of dedication goes into making our afternoon teas extra special, and this notice allows us to get everything perfect!
Book by calling 01929 462243 or emailing events@walledgardenmoreton.co.uk – you can also email us with any questions or more information.
Christmas Market – THIS WEEK
Sunday 7th December sees the festive gates to our Christmas Market open once again. From 10am, visitors can peruse 25+ stalls by local businesses, all of them on hand ready to help you tick off your Christmas gift lift, or buy a treat for yourself! From crafts, jewellery, to sweet treats, books to homewares and wreaths to beauty products, there will be lots for you to see. The smell of mulled wine and bratwurst will fill the air alongside the sound of a choir singing carols throughout the day. It’s going to be a day full of festive fun for all! FREE ENTRY, and FREE PARKING – and of course, DOG FRIENDLY.
CASH RECOMMENDED FOR STALLS!
Christmas Bug and Exotic Animal Experience – 20th December – BOOK NOW!
For something a little different over the Christmas period, why not treat the kids to a meet-and-greet with some of our more unusual residents of Animal Acre?
Our Animal Expert Chrissy will give brave explorers (not just for kids, adults welcome!) an educational and hands on meeting with our group of fabulous mini beasts such as the Darkling Beetles, Katydids, Giant Stick Insects, Giant Snails, Cockroaches, Praying Mantis and more. PLUS, you’ll meet our Leopard Geckos, and the likes of Mishu and Sisu our Bearded Dragons.
Sessions take place on Saturday 20th December 10am and 2pm and last approx. 45mins – 1hour. Children 8 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Christmas Trail ON NOW! – EVERY DAY!
The reindeer have returned and are hiding all over the gardens. Seek high, low and everything in between to find all nine and uncover the mystery word.
There are also winter themed quiz questions to answer – how many can you get right?
Complete the trail and claim your prize from the café! But don’t worry, every map is guaranteed a prize so nobody will miss out if you can’t answer all the questions or find all the reindeer!
Maps are just £3 each (one prize per map) and are available from the Dovecote Café. No booking is required.
And finally….
What a year 2025 has been. Thank you to everyone who has supported EMA and The Walled Garden this year. Whether you’ve explored the gardens, enjoyed a tasty treat in the Dovecote Café, joined for one of our events or followed, liked or shared our stories on social media, your engagement has helped keep us growing and we are not slowing down!
All our supporters are helping us to give all our EMA students real-life work experience, build their confidence and life skills, and prepare them for a more independent fulfilling future, as the Walled Garden and Café goes hand-in-hand with the college, and we’re proud to be one of the most vibrant destinations in Dorset.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us all at The Walled Garden and Dovecote Café! We hope you’ll stop by for these last few weeks and make a few more 2025 memories with us.
Recent Reviews!
– “Café was absolutely lovely. We had a couple of really nice breakfasts there with great coffee, and the staff were very sweet about us staying a while.” Via Google
– “Fabulous lunch, then walk round the gardens, and seeing the animals is a lovely afternoon out!” – Via Google
– “Only used the cafe here but the garden looked great, the food in the café was brilliant with quick and efficient service. Food was hot and tasty I had the all day breakfast which I can whole heartily recommend great stop if your doing the Lawrence of Arabia trail.” – Via Google