Welcome to Hydrangea Derby

Hydrangea Derby, a voluntary group, was set up in 2010 to look after the Hydrangea Garden in Darley Park.  Our aim is to create a beautiful and inclusive space in a corner of an exceedingly popular park to which visitors will come again and again.  The garden contains the only National Collection of Hydrangea paniculata in the world and our aim is to include every new variety that becomes available while trying to prevent any Hydrangea paniculata disappearing from cultivation.  There are many other hydrangeas to be seen however and you’ll find out about them as you go through our menu.  The garden now holds 9 of the most common species and around 900 cultivars.

The garden is in a public park so is open all year with free entry.  Part of the collection is in a walled garden which is open from July to November when the plants are in full bloom.  It is open all day during these months and entry is free. 

 Click these links to find out more:

Spring 2024

Spring is in the air and the first green shoots are appearing on the hydrangeas. It will be a few weeks yet before we see the first flowers, but in...

Walled Garden closed for Winter 2023-2024

The gates to the walled garden were closed at the end of October for the winter. The volunteers will start their end-of-year planting and...

Daffodils and Tulips

We've added some daffodils and tulips to the outer garden to add some interest while we wait for the hydrangeas to flower.

Walled Garden closing date 2022

Our gardening schedule is extended this year.  It's been busy what with the wall repairs, new edging and saving plants from the drought.  This year...

Hydrangea aspera Taiwan Pink

Hydrangea aspera, in the walled garden, is putting on another splendid autumnal display and attracting all sorts of bees and other insects.  Enjoy...

Best hydrangea paniculas for attracting bees and other insects

In Hydrangea, there are two types of flowers, these are: a) Fertile flowers that have carpels, nectar, ovaries, stamens (with pollen) and very small...

East Midlands Today ‘On the Map’

Anna Church, weather reporter for East Midlands Today visited us in September to put us 'On the Map'.  She and her camara person, Troy, spent the...

An Introduction to Hydrangeas

 Hydrangeas have come back into fashion and are now much more than the well-known pink (in alkaline soil) and blue (in acid soil) mop head and lacecap varieties.  While these have been cultivated to become more and more elaborate, nurseries have discovered the charms of species that produce cone shaped flower heads, black stems, delicate serrated leaves and chocolate-coloured leaves with bristles. You will find compact hydrangeas for the front of your borders, large woodland ones, ones that climb up walls and ones that attract bees and butterflies.  Explore the variety on our Plant Page.