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King Charles III has always had a passion for gardening, even before he wore the crown. At Highgrove House, he pushed for organic methods and made the place famous among gardeners everywhere.

This summer, anyone visiting Windsor Castle can finally step into one of his new green creations. The newly redesigned historic garden, named the Venus Garden (formerly known as the East Terrace Garden), is not just another royal lawn. King Charles designed it himself, blending history, astronomy, art, and ecology — pretty much all his passions in one space.

The Venus Garden: The history behind itFor the unversed, it’s not a new garden that’s poppin up out of the blue. The garden already existed, tucked under the East Terrace of the castle. For ages, it was simply known as the East Terrace Garden. While the castle itself has welcomed tourists for decades, now this garden is finally joining the castle’s public tour lineup after some major changes.

What’s even more interesting is that this part has an interesting backstory: it began as Charles II’s bowling green in the 1620-1700s. Then, in 1829, it was bought by King George IV, and it was first installed in the Windsor Castle garden in 1909. Over the years, the garden has seen action as a wartime vegetable plot in WWII, and at one point, Prince Philip made it a formal rose garden.

In other words, the place really has seen every era. It has intermittently been open to the public, most recently over weekends in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

And bits of history still remain in the garden — like sculptures from the royal collection, including one of Hercules wrestling Achelous that started out in Kew Gardens and has a few stories of its own, being moved several times since the 1800s.

A redesigned garden by the KingFor King Charles III, gardens aren’t just pretty backdrops. He sees them as spaces that restore both land and people. At Highgrove, he’s shown the world what organic and sustainable gardening looks like, and now he’s brought that same philosophy to Windsor.

The design of this new garden is what’s truly new. Instead of following the usual formal layout, Charles took inspiration from the way Venus moves around the sun. Every eight years, the planet’s orbit creates a five-petalled rose pattern in the sky, called the “Rose of Venus.” That elegant shape threads through the new garden, mixing science with flowers and symbolism.

What does that mean for visitors?You get sweeping beds of perennials, well-manicured hedges, pear tree avenues, wildflower meadows, and thousands of bulbs timed to keep blooming all season. The redesign planted over 11,000 spring bulbs, which bring color and help bees and butterflies thrive. Safe to say, biodiversity is a clear priority here.

And it’s not just about looks, either. King Charles wanted the garden to be a mini-nature reserve. That means native plants, nectar-rich borders, and spots for insects and birds. They dialed back typical maintenance, so things feel more natural and wildlife can move in. All this lines up with King Charles’ long-running push for eco-conscious gardening.

History buffs will spot the garden's old bones beneath the new planting. Where you once would’ve seen formal roses and that distinct lotus-shaped fountain, now art and softer landscapes blend together. The result is a landscape with roots and fresh ideas shoved right up next to each other.

Notably, Windsor isn’t the only royal residence opening up; Buckingham Palace and Balmoral have started doing the same.

The Venus Garden opens to Windsor Castle visitors from July 16 to September 13 (weather allowing), and you need a standard ticket or a one-year pass. The only catch to keep in mind: the garden’s layout means wheelchairs aren’t allowed inside, though you can still get great views from the terrace. Pushchairs can’t go in either, but there’s safe storage available.