Sussex has a wealth of beautiful gardens to enjoy which will no doubt inspire you to up the ante at home
Arundel Castle
The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk’s inspirational gardens include herbaceous borders, wildflowers, an organic kitchen garden, old-fashioned roses, cut flowers and the unique Collector Earl’s Garden with its theatrical design evoking a Jacobean classical ‘Capriccio’. Look out also for tropical areas, the white themed garden and a rather quirky stumpery.
Opening times
Arundel Castle, Arundel BN18 9PA
Open April to 29 Oct, (10 – 5)
Closed Mondays, except bank holidays and in August
Admission gardens £14, child £6.50
arundelcastle.org
Bates Green Garden
John McCutchan is continuing the legacy of the lovely garden created by his wife Carolyn, an acclaimed plantswoman. This is a tranquil landscape of mature trees, woodland and clearings, expertly planted and with something of interest year round, from early bulbs to autumnal beauty. Communities of plants that work together in the conditions of neutral heavy clay provide a layered effect, with canopies of trees and shrubs, through herbaceous, to groundcovers.
Opening times
Bates Green, Arlington, BN26 6SH
Open every Wednesday until 25 Oct, also NGS days
Admission £7, child £3.50
batesgreengarden.co.uk, ngs.org.uk
Bignor Park
The Mersey family has been welcoming visitors for over 60 years, through the National Gardens Scheme, to their 11 acres of gardens. Magnificent views of the South Downs, mature trees, wildflower areas, unusual contemporary sculptures, a temple and Greek pavilion, as well as herbaceous borders and vegetable gardens are all united by a sense of peace and timelessness in this historic landscape. The former home of the romantic poet Charlotte Smith, whose sonnets were inspired by Bignor Park, an ambitious programme of new planting and redesign is underway.
Opening times
Bignor Park, Pulborough, RH20 1HG
Open for booked groups
bignorpark.co.uk
For the National Gardens Scheme
Tues 20 June (2-5)
Adm £5, child free, home-made teas available at extra cost
ngs.org.uk
Borde Hill Garden
A 220-acre historic listed garden of parkland and cultivated areas, stocked with mature specimens from the plant hunting traditions of the Victorian area. There are different areas to explore, including the formal Italian garden and the subtropical dell. Award-winning collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and camellias. June is the peak time to admire the 500 David Austin roses, framed with lavender and box, in all their glory. Children’s adventure playground and events through the year. Herbaceous borders through summer and autumnal foliage colour.
Opening times
Borde Hill, Haywards Heath, RH16 1XP
Open until 31 Oct
Admission £11.50, child £8
bordehill.co.uk
Butlers Farmhouse
This one acre garden around C16 farmhouse with views of the South Downs is a combination of traditional borders and planting. But it has a rather quirky sense of fun with surprises such as a poison garden, complete with labelled plants that you may not have known were poisonous, a rainbow border, Cornish-inspired beach corner by the swimming pool and a secret jungle garden to discover. Visdit in June and you may spot some wild orchids in the meadow. Home to the NGS East and Mid Sussex county organiser, Irene Eltringham-Willson and musician husband Peter, there are plants for sale, picnics welcome in June and August and live jazz in August
Opening times
Butlers Farmhouse, Herstmonceux, BN27 1QH
NGS: thurs 15m Fri 16 June, Sat 26, Sun 27 Aug (2-5)
Admission £6 June, £7 Aug, child free, home-made teas, and plants for sale
Vists also by arrangement Mar- 27 Oct
ngs.org.uk
Clinton Lodge
Elegant and timeless with a romantic atmosphere where peonies bloom, roses entwine and scented herbs entice in a Medieval style potager. The six acres are divided into rooms, which also include a formal knot garden, a folly, an orchard and a wildflower garden, linked with hedging, allées and a cloister walk inspired by a pre-Raphaelite painting. Owner Lady Collum guides the garden with both a consummate knowledge and an innate sense of style and charm.
Opening times
Clinton Lodge, Fletching, TN22 3ST
Web: clintonlodgegardens.co.uk
NGS: Thurs 22 June (11-5.30)
Admission £7, chid free, home-made teas from 12, no lunches
ngs.org.uk
Denmans Garden
Former home of influential garden designer and writer John Brookes MBE, the garden displays an expert use of texture and foliage. It showcases that along with flower colour, long-season interest and form can be created by appreciating the shape, size and colour of foliages as well. The garden is spread over four acres with both intimate and sweeping vistas, punctuated by the planting combinations, statuary and urns. Gravel is used for paths but also as a growing medium to create casual, naturalistic effects.
Opening times
Denmans, Fontwell, BN18 0SU
Garden, nursery and café
Mon – Sat (9.30-4), Sun (11-4)
Admission £9, child £7
denmans.org
Driftwood
Enthusiasm and plants galore are sure to inspire in this coastal garden. Eclectic in nature, it is full of ideas for small gardens as well as budget creativity using found and reclaimed objects. Every part is brimming with plants, many in containers and there is colour throughout the year. Visitors also enjoy the home- made cakes served on vintage china, and keep an eye out for unexpected use of dainty tea cups – peeping out of plants or planted with tiny succulents.
Opening times
Driftwood, Seaford, BN25 2RS
NGS: visits by arrangement 1 June to 11 Aug, groups up to 20
Admission £6, child free
ngs.org.uk
Durrance Manor
This delightful two-acre garden around a medieval hall house has various areas, including hot-themed herbaceous borders billowing with dahlias, a wildflower meadow, orchard, lake and a rather unexpected Japanese themed garden, inspired by time in Nihon. There is also a Monet-styled bridge over a pond with water lilies and wonderful views from a ha-ha of the South Downs and Chanctonbury Ring.
Opening times
Durrance Manor, Shipley, RH13 8PE
NGS: Mon 28 Aug (12-6)
Adm £7, child free
ngs.org.uk
East Grinstead Gardens
Visiting a group of gardens in a town or village is a great way to gather ideas for smaller gardens and what grows locally. Here you will find a variety of planting and styles in four gardens, from the contemporary 35 Blount Ave, cleverly designed by the owner Nicki Conlon, through to naturalistic communities of plants around a pond, tropical combinations and the local allotments for expert tips on growing your own food.
Opening times
East Grinstead Gardens
35 Blount Ave, RH19 1JJ, details on website for the other locations and parking
NGS: Sun 30 July (1-5)
Combined admissions £6, child free, home-made teas
ngs.org.uk
Great Dixter House, Garden and Nurseries
A mecca for gardeners, this most revered and experimental garden was home to the late Christopher Lloyd, an iconic gardener whose influence is evident worldwide from his masterful planting combinations. This is the garden that started exciting colour use, such as the dark-foliaged red Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ against orange cannas and purple Verbena bonariensis that has been much copied since. The legacy of this important garden is carried on under the guidance of Fergus Garrett and his team for visitors to continue to enjoy the range of garden areas and attached nursery.
Opening times
Great Dixter House and Garden, Northiam, TN31 6PH
Admission House and Garden £14.50, child £4.50, garden only £13, £4
greatdixter.co.uk
High Beeches Woodland and Water Garden
Take a stroll through shimmering azaleas and rhododendrons in spring, flower meadows in summer and a blaze of foliage colours in autumn in 27 acres of listed, historic landscaped woodland and water gardens. The garden is home to an impressive plant collection from many parts of the world, including the National Collection of Stewartia.
Opening times
High Beeches, Handcross, RH17 6HQ
Open daily, April – 31 Oct, (1-5), closed Wednesdays
Admission £10, child £4
highbeeches.com
Knightsbridge House
Enjoy the wildness of ornamental grasses and perennials set off by the slanting rays of sunlight in this garden of mature borders set out on a slope from the house. Five acres have been landscaped into different ‘rooms’ in a contemporary style with a wide palette of plants. More formal areas also feature, including brightly planted containers around a seating area and harmonious tones of dahlias and phlox in a partly walled garden.
Opening times
Knightsbridge House, Hellingly, BN27 4HH
NGS: Wed 6, Sat 9 Sept (2-5)
Admission £7, child free, home-made teas
ngs.org.uk
Malthouse Farm
This atmospheric rural garden of different areas is set over five acres and backed by views to the South Downs. Formal areas include a box parterre, while informality with densely planted herbaceous borders punctuated with sculptural detailing then melds into wildflowers, an orchard, grass walks, a birch maze, wildlife pond and willow tunnel. There is also an attractively planted kitchen and cut flower garden and plants for sale.
Opening times
Malthouse Farm, Streat, BN6 8SA
NGS: Visits by arrangement Apr-Sept groups 10 – 40
Admission £13, children free, home-made teas included
ngs.org.uk
Marchants Hardy Plants
This renowned nursery of grasses and perennials also has an exciting garden where you can see how the plants can be combined masterfully. Set against the backdrop of the South Downs, the rich tapestry is sure to inspire. Knowing the plants have been propagated by the team is an added bonus. You may discover plants you haven’t seen before as the palette is varied, from ranges of ornamental wafting grasses gracefully catching in the light to a special interest in agapanthus.
Opening times
Marchants Hardy Plants, Laughton, BN8 6AJ
marchantshardyplants.co.uk
NGS: Tues 25, Wed 26 July (10-5)
Adm £6, child free, pre-booking essential, home-made teas available
ngs.org.uk
The Old Vicarage
Gardens for a long season spread around the handsome Regency house, formal in the front and melding into the landscape of the North Downs beyond in the rear garden with curving borders, fine trees and a water garden. There are many pockets of interest, including a Japanese-inspired waterfall, pond and stands of bamboo, a working kitchen garden and an Italianate gazebo. Seating is strategically placed to enjoy the closer vignettes and also the wider vistas.
Opening times
The Old Vicarage, Washington, RH20 4AS
NGS: Every Thursday to 12 Oct (10.30-4.30), pre-booking essential
Self-service refreshments and picnics welcome
Mon 28 Aug (10.30-4.30), purchase ticket in advance or at gate
Admission £7, child free, home-made teas available
Visits also by arrangement to 29 Sept, groups 10-30
ngs.org.uk
Parham House and Garden
Timeless interlocking gardens around an historic Elizabethan house. Opulent herbaceous borders billow over gravel paths in the walled garden especially beautiful backlit by late afternoon sun. There are also herb and vegetable gardens, a long greenhouse brimming with fuchsias, an orchard, a mown grass maze and acres of rolling lawns. There is an ongoing programme of renewal, renovation and conservation, which adds to the interest and invites visits in different seasons.
Opening times
Parham House & Gardens, Pulborough, RH20 4HS
Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun and BHM to Sun 8th Oct (12-5), café
Admission House and Garden £15, conc. £14, child £7.50, Gardens only £11, £10, £5, cashless, all purchases credit or debit card
parhaminsussex.co.uk
Parsonage Farm
This is an impressive garden on a grand scale with a fruit theme and many unusual plants. Orange and blue themed borders are packed with kniphofia and salvias highlighted with vibrant roses, cannas and gladioli. Large productive vegetable and fruit garden adds to the harvest of tomatoes and chillies growing in a greenhouse. Stroll along the formal avenues with long vistas, including a topiary walk and pleached lime allee, turf amphitheatre, autumn shrubbery, yew cloisters and a jungle walk.
Opening times
Parsonage farm, Kirdford, RH14 0NH
NGS: Fri 23 June, Sun 3 Sept (2-6)
Admission £7, child free, home-made teas available
ngs.org.uk
Pashley Manor
A quintessential English garden of rooms and areas set around a handsome period manor. Romantic in style, with beautiful plantings through the season, James and Angela Sellick have been opening their garden to the public since 1992, following restoration of the garden guided by landscape architect Anthony du Gard Pasley. The scene changes from drifts of thousands of tulips and spring blossom to the vibrant tones of the hot border in late summer and autumn. Throughout the year there are special events that include the Tulip Festival, Sculpture, as well as Rose and Kitchen garden weeks. The very popular café uses local produce, including straight from their decorative potager.
Opening times
Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, TN5 7HE
Tues to Sat, BHM, and special event days, until end Sept (10-5)
Admission £14, child £6
pashleymanorgardens.com
Ringmer Park
Developed over the last 36 years as the owner’s interpretation of a classic English country style, this beautiful formal garden is softened by the abundant planting within 15 carefully planned areas. Admire the glorious herbaceous borders, massed roses, colour-themed garden rooms, an African-inspired area with drought-tolerant grasses, meadow planting and a romantic tunnel of roses and entwining clematis edged in blowsy peonies.
Opening times
Ringmer Park, Ringmer, BN8 5RW
NGS: Sun 11 June (2-5)
Admission £6, child free, home-made teas available
ngs.org.uk
Saffrons
An artist’s garden with an emphasis on a wonderfully blowsy arrray of sun-loving summery plants, such as salvias, dahlias and scented lilies, to the delight of the local bees and butterflies. Enthusiastic owners, Tim Melton and Bernardean Carey, have blended colours and textures beautifully with a predominance of glorious pinks, burgundies and silvers, contrasted by an occassional splash of even brighter hues from fiery crocosmias and rich blue agapanthus. In other areas of the garden there are layers of green from shade-loving plants, while the productive area consists of veg beds and a fruit cage.
Opening times
Saffrons, Steyning, BN44 3GJ
NGS: visits by arrangement 26 June to 15 Aug for groups 10 to 30. Individuals can ask to join an existing group. Home-made teas available
ngs.org.uk
Sandhill Farm House
Home of of author and Principal of The English Gardening School, Rosemary Alexander, the garden is a series of masterfully planted areas within a framework of clipped form. In the front garden there is a small woodland with soft-toned spring blossom and bloom, a Mediterranean-style terrace and a more formal white garden. The rear garden includes mirrored borders, a decorative potager and a red themed bed. Rosemary’s aim of combining the practical with the romantic is beautifully realized in this organic, environmentally-friendly garden.
Opening times
Sandhill Farm House, Rogate, GU31 5HU
Web: rosemaryalexander.co.uk
NGS: Sat 17, Sun 18 June, Sat 16, Sun 17 September (2-5)
Admission £5, child free, home-made teas
Web: ngs.org.uk
Sussex Prairies
As the name suggests this is a garden of naturalistic waves of ornamental grasses and perennials, with a broad palette that has around 30,000 plants and 600 different varieties, set over six acres. The borders also serve the purpose of a living catalogue for Paul and Pauline McBride’s garden design business and stock plants for their farm nursery.
Opening times
Sussex Prairies garden, Henfield, BN5 9AT
5 days a week, closed Mon and Tues apart from BHM
1 June – 15 Oct (1-5)
RHS Partner garden
Admission £10, child £5
sussexprairies.co.uk
For NGS: Sun 10 Sept (1-5)
Town Place
This gorgeous three-acre garden has inspired visitors from across the globe with its classic design and orchestrated planting. Set out from the 17th century Sussex farmhouse, there are many areas to inspire, including floriferous herbaceous borders, a decorative potager, scented herbs, a white garden, some 400 roses and topiary inspired by the sculptures of Henry Moore. There is also an 800-year-old oak, and a unique ruined Priory church and cloisters in hornbeam.
Opening times
Town Place, Freshfield, RH17 7NR
NGS: Sun 11, Wed 14, Wed 21, Sun 25 June; Sun 2, Sun 9 July (2-5)
Admission £8, child free
Visits also by arrangement 1 June to 7 July
ngs.org.uk
West Dean Gardens
Learn everything you need to grow produce at this Grade II-listed historic garden in tranquil downland setting. The 35 acres include a 300 ft pergola designed by Harold Peto, mixed borders, rustic summerhouses, spring and water gardens, a sunken garden and the fabulous Victorian walled kitchen garden with decorative rows of produce, fruit trees and 13 glasshouses with tender exotics. Special events are held through the year.
Opening times
West Dean Gardens, West Dean, PO18 0RX
Daily, summer – to October 31 (10.30-5)
winter Nov- Feb (10.30-4) £5, £2.50
Adm £12/£13.20 GA summer
westdean.org.uk
