Stone Lane Gardens is an enchanting 5-acre woodland gardens on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park, famous for a National Collection of Birch and Alder trees and annual sculpture exhibition.

Stone Lane Gardens was the creation of Kenneth and June Ashburner, the owners of the grade 2 listed Stone farm. Kenneth was an avid traveller and plant finder and in the early 1970’s began planting the trees he had grown from seeds gathered on his travels and from other botanic gardens. Gradually the garden expanded as the Ashburners bought land, until it took the shape it is today.

By 1992, June felt that the gardens would be an ideal backdrop for open air sculpture and the annual exhibition was ‘born’ and continues to flourish. The Ashburner prize builds on this legacy.

Three years after founding, in 1995, Plant Heritage awarded the gardens its ‘National Collection’ status in recognition of the importance of the diversity and rarity of its trees. And in 2015 Plant Heritage further awarded the gardens ‘Scientific Status’ in acknowledgement of the great work Kenneth Ashburner had done to extend and promote knowledge of the species, work that continues today under the stewardship of our Garden Manager, Paul Bartlett.

In 2019 Stone Lane Gardens became an RHS Partner Garden.