Gardens in Sussex
Search gardens in Sussex
Our favourites
National Trust's Petworth
Petworth, West Sussex
A stately mansion nestled in the South Downs housing the finest art collection in the care of the National Trust. The landscape gives every impression of being totally natural but in reality, nothing is further from the truth. The park was transformed in the 1750s and early 1760s by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
National Trust's Uppark House and Garden
Petersfield
Perched on its vantage point high on the South Downs ridge, Uppark commands views as far south as the English Channel. Outside, the intimate gardens are being gradually restored to their original 19th-century design, with plenty of space in the adjacent meadow to play and relax with a picnic. The nearby woodland is great for exploring and den-building.
West Dean Gardens
Chichester
"Many of us are striving to live ‘the good life’ but perhaps the best example of what can be achieved on UK soil is the walled garden at West Dean Gardens. Occupying a scenic stretch of East Sussex, the more than 100 acres are ideal for picnicing or those looking for things to do in Chichester with dogs, while the beautiful vistas are sure to blow all other Chichester date ideas out of the park. The walled kitchen garden has been painstakingly laid out exactly as it would be in Victorian times - be warned, you will get veg-patch envy. Four neat rows have been split between potatoes, brassicas, legumes and salads and root crops and all manner of fruits hang from the walls like delicious edible garlands. Elsewhere you’ll find the beautifully restored Victorian glasshouses, a 300 foot Edwardian pergola draped in climbing roses, honeysuckles and clematis and a landscaped park of mammoth proportions. The chalky soil might dictate what can be grown here, but that hasn’t been a hindrance judging by the abundance of produce and flowers on display. Make the most of your visit by sampling the produce in the West Dean Gardens cafe — a worthy reward after a long day’s wandering. "
Dog-friendly gardens
Penns in the Rocks
Tunbridge Wells
Penns in the Rocks is an early 18th-century redbrick house, built for the family of William Penn of Pennsylvania. The late Lord Gibson was Chairman of the Arts Council, and of the National Trust. He and Lady Gibson remodelled the interior of the house, and with the help of Lanning Roper adapted the garden from Dorothy Wellesley's original design.
West Dean Gardens
Chichester
"Many of us are striving to live ‘the good life’ but perhaps the best example of what can be achieved on UK soil is the walled garden at West Dean Gardens. Occupying a scenic stretch of East Sussex, the more than 100 acres are ideal for picnicing or those looking for things to do in Chichester with dogs, while the beautiful vistas are sure to blow all other Chichester date ideas out of the park. The walled kitchen garden has been painstakingly laid out exactly as it would be in Victorian times - be warned, you will get veg-patch envy. Four neat rows have been split between potatoes, brassicas, legumes and salads and root crops and all manner of fruits hang from the walls like delicious edible garlands. Elsewhere you’ll find the beautifully restored Victorian glasshouses, a 300 foot Edwardian pergola draped in climbing roses, honeysuckles and clematis and a landscaped park of mammoth proportions. The chalky soil might dictate what can be grown here, but that hasn’t been a hindrance judging by the abundance of produce and flowers on display. Make the most of your visit by sampling the produce in the West Dean Gardens cafe — a worthy reward after a long day’s wandering. "
National Trust's Uppark House and Garden
Petersfield
Perched on its vantage point high on the South Downs ridge, Uppark commands views as far south as the English Channel. Outside, the intimate gardens are being gradually restored to their original 19th-century design, with plenty of space in the adjacent meadow to play and relax with a picnic. The nearby woodland is great for exploring and den-building.
Arundel Castle
Arundel
Today the stunning and inspirational walled gardens include the internationally renowned Collector Earl’s Garden, The Stumpery; the hot and cool Herbaceous Borders with contrasting foliage plants; and the Cut Flower Garden and Organic Kitchen Garden that supply the Castle with fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers.
National Trust's Bateman's
Burwash
'That's She! The Only She! Make an honest woman of her - quick!' was how Rudyard Kipling and his wife, Carrie, felt the first time they saw Bateman's. Surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Sussex Weald, this 17th-century house, with its mullioned windows and oak beams, provided a much needed sanctuary to this world-famous writer.
National Trust's Petworth
Petworth, West Sussex
A stately mansion nestled in the South Downs housing the finest art collection in the care of the National Trust. The landscape gives every impression of being totally natural but in reality, nothing is further from the truth. The park was transformed in the 1750s and early 1760s by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Highlights this month
Wildflower Meadows
Great Dixter House & Garden
Rye
Great Dixter was the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd – it was the focus of his energy and enthusiasm and fuelled over 40 years of books and articles. Now under the stewardship of Fergus Garrett and the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, Great Dixter is an historic house, a garden, a centre of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world.
Arundel Castle
Arundel
Today the stunning and inspirational walled gardens include the internationally renowned Collector Earl’s Garden, The Stumpery; the hot and cool Herbaceous Borders with contrasting foliage plants; and the Cut Flower Garden and Organic Kitchen Garden that supply the Castle with fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers.
West Dean Gardens
Chichester
"Many of us are striving to live ‘the good life’ but perhaps the best example of what can be achieved on UK soil is the walled garden at West Dean Gardens. Occupying a scenic stretch of East Sussex, the more than 100 acres are ideal for picnicing or those looking for things to do in Chichester with dogs, while the beautiful vistas are sure to blow all other Chichester date ideas out of the park. The walled kitchen garden has been painstakingly laid out exactly as it would be in Victorian times - be warned, you will get veg-patch envy. Four neat rows have been split between potatoes, brassicas, legumes and salads and root crops and all manner of fruits hang from the walls like delicious edible garlands. Elsewhere you’ll find the beautifully restored Victorian glasshouses, a 300 foot Edwardian pergola draped in climbing roses, honeysuckles and clematis and a landscaped park of mammoth proportions. The chalky soil might dictate what can be grown here, but that hasn’t been a hindrance judging by the abundance of produce and flowers on display. Make the most of your visit by sampling the produce in the West Dean Gardens cafe — a worthy reward after a long day’s wandering. "
St Mary's House & Gardens
Steyning
At St Mary’s House & Gardens it’s not just the pretty planting, whimsical animal topiary or the 15th-century timber-framed pilgrim inn that draws the crowds, though these are excellent reasons to come here. Perhaps the star attraction is the extraordinary ‘Living Fossil’ tree, a fine specimen known as the prehistoric Ginkgo Biloba. While pondering its age, there are plenty of other unique aspects of St Mary’s House & Gardens to explore. From the enviably long Victorian fruit wall and heated pineapple pits to the eclectic museum filled with horticultural paraphernalia from rural family farms. The literary-minded gardener will delight in the circular English poetry garden, where you can read verse among the shade of the semi woodland garden. And once you’ve spotted the herbaceous borders and enchanting landscape water garden, we’re sure this five-acre plot in west Sussex will leave you waxing lyrical.
National Trust's Bateman's
Burwash
'That's She! The Only She! Make an honest woman of her - quick!' was how Rudyard Kipling and his wife, Carrie, felt the first time they saw Bateman's. Surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Sussex Weald, this 17th-century house, with its mullioned windows and oak beams, provided a much needed sanctuary to this world-famous writer.