Gardens in Sussex Worth Visiting
The gardens of Sussex offer a wide variety of views on the natural and man made pleasures of the county’s flora. They come as grottoes, formal areas, landscaped parks, walled areas, and woodland estates of the area speak to their caretakers personal and collective visions as well as their love for plants and their environment. Each has been carefully planned and created to reflect the interests and affections of their keepers and their overseeing bodies. Some reflect history, some reflect nature, some reflect Sussex, and some reflect on a wider world of landscaping. All are worth visiting as the Sussex gardens are truly unique treasures that are never the same twice in one season.
Some of the most impressive and noteworthy gardens in Sussex include:
• Leonardslee-A secluded and fully landscaped woodland garden that borders on no less than seven lakes.
• Wakehurst Place-Over 200 ha of landscaped and formal gardens that feature rare and exotic plants.
• Sheffield Park-This 18th Century garden was landscaped by Capability Brown. It features five lakes linked by water cascades.
• High Beeches-This romantically landscaped site is known for its woodland and water gardens.
• Nymans-Designed around romantic walled garden rooms and ruins.
• Pashley Manor Gardens-These gardens are set around the moat of a Tudor manor and offer stately statues, fountains, and ponds.
• Christopher Lloyd’s garden at Great Dixter-A garden that features experimental plantings.
• Borde Hill-A garden that holds a series of widely varied sites, including sub tropical dells, old fashioned roses, and parkland.
• Groombridge Place Gardens-A formal, walled garden with statues, drunken topiary, and a giant chess set.
• West Dean-A Victorian site with 16 victorian glasshouses and a Victorian walled kitchen garden, among other things.
• Arundel Castle Gardens-The Collector Earl’s garden at this site is particularly memorable for its beauty and its location.
• Hertmonceux Castle Gardens-Another notable and well cared for site located on castle grounds.
• Merriments Gardens-An inspirational garden that offers an excellent nursery and a knowledgeable staff along with strong designs and color combinations.
• Denmans Garden-Boasts the year round garden designer John Brooks and is designed for year round interest.
This list represents only a small selection of the Sussex gardens that are available to visitors, of course, so if you have a personal interest in gardens or gardening, you may want to consider doing some further research into the area’s offerings.
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