Can you believe it’s July already? The summer is moving on at a real pace. This month, Geoff Stonebanks, the National Garden Scheme’s Publicity Officer in East & Mid Sussex, has curated a collection of beautiful July NGS Sussex gardens you could visit across the county with input from his colleague Kate Harrison in West Sussex. There will be 20 brand new gardens opening this month too, 4 listed here, in addition to some old favourites. Remember, you can check out all the gardens at www.ngs.org.uk If you want to arrange something special for a family gathering or celebration event you can also check our by arrangement gardens and set up a private visit to the garden with your guests.
NEW Meadowside, 7 Finches Lane, West Chiltington, Pulborough, RH20 2PX.
Open Thursday 3rd July from 10.30am to 4.30pm with entry £6.
Designed to encourage wildlife, the formal areas are gradually being adapted. In the back garden, annual wild flowers have replaced box hedging, erigeron and chamomile have been allowed to self-seed between brick paths and paving; part of the lawn has become a wildflower area. A summerhouse looks out onto the fish pond and the deck has views over the wildlife areas and woodland beyond.
NEW Lynwood, Holland Road, Steyning, BN44 3GJ.
Open Fridays 4th and 11th July from midday to 5pm. Combined entry with Saffrons £8.
Medium sized garden with three distinct garden areas around an Edwardian house. Recently re-planted, colour-themed mixed borders of perennials and annuals including flowers for cutting, eating and scent. Two lawned areas and two pot filled patios, plus cedar wood greenhouse where many of the plants are raised from seed. Wheelchair access over gravel and grass.
Saffrons, Holland Road, Steyning, BN44 3GJ.
Open Fridays 4th and 11th July from midday to 5pm. Combined entry with Lynwood £8.
Planted with an artist’s eye for contrasts and complementary colours. Vibrant late summer flower beds of salvias, eryngiums, agapanthus, grasses and lilies attract bees and butterflies. A broad lawn is surrounded by borders with maples, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and mature trees interspersed with ferns and grasses. The large fruit cage and vegetable beds comprise the productive area of the garden.
NEW 12 Keepers Wood, Chichester, PO19 5XU.
Open Thursdays 10th and 17th July from 2pm to 5pm with entry £7. Pre booking essential.
A north facing, ¼ acre garden situated at the edge of the city, wedged between tall trees and open agricultural land which was redesigned in 2017 to showcase its unique position. The result is a garden of different moods: Annabelle hydrangeas, a fern-packed woodland area, and a 90ft Piet Oudolf inspired prairie border, complemented by a majestic oak, a willow tipi, a pond, and a cut flower border.
NEW Seaford Gardens South. All gardens are signed off the A259.
See individual entries online for detailed directions at www.ngs.org.uk. Sunday 13th July, midday to 5pm with combined entry of £8.
Six different gardens open. See a garden surrounded by mature trees with beds containing a variety of herbaceous perennials, a mature garden with naturalistic planting. Visit a well-planted front garden that leads to a back garden with beautifully planted deep beds and large drifts of herbaceous perennials. Don’t miss the flint walled garden with cottage, coastal and kitchen beds. A new plot for 2025 has a wrap-around maturing garden with climbers, mature trees, and shrubs.
Winchelsea’s Secret Gardens, Winchelsea, TN36 4EN.
Saturday 5th July from 1pm to 5pm with combined entry of £8.
Winchelsea continues to recruit fresh horticultural skills with yet more new gardens joining the group this year. On offer are secret walled gardens, roses, herbaceous borders and more. Nine gardens will open in the beautiful setting of the Cinque Port of Winchelsea. Explore the town with its magnificent church. Check winchelsea.com for the latest information on tours of their famous Medieval cellars.
East Grinstead Gardens, RH19 1JJ.
Sunday 6th July from 1pm to 5pm with a combined entry £7.
Imberhorne Allotments features 80 plots hosting a diverse range of planting, inc grapevines, various vegetables, fruits, and flowers. A worthwhile visit for anyone interested in grow your own. At 35 Blount Avenue, contemporary design blends seamlessly with lush and colourful plantings in this south facing town garden. The large borders are colour themed, complemented by tropical plants. The front garden is alive with vibrant dahlias and roses. 5 Nightingale Close is situated on a corner plot, showcasing beautifully landscaped gardens on two levels. The garden features vibrant and diverse plantings surrounding a naturalistic Koi pond, along with a productive fruit and vegetable patch, rose and herbaceous beds, and topiary trees. 7 Nightingale Avenue boasts a stunning array of roses and romantic flowerings that cascade down to a stream.
NEW 408 Falmer Road, Woodingdean, Brighton, BN2 6LG.
Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th July, 11am to 5pm with entry £4. Open nearby 33 Wivelsfield Road.
A quirky ¼ acre garden that sits between the South Downs and the sea. Jam packed with trees, a huge range of shrubs, a colourful palette of perennials and a bountiful vegetable patch. An ever-increasing group of succulents has joined a sizeable collection of agapanthus. The use of Corten steel and a huge array of steel buckets, cans, and baths all planted up add to the unique feel of this garden.
33 Wivelsfield Road, Saltdean, Brighton, BN2 8FP.
Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th July, 11am to 5pm with entry £6. Open nearby 408 Falmer Road.
The garden, created in 2016, landscaped during 2017 and planting started later that year is split over three levels filled with colourful perennials, annuals, grasses, and succulents planted in the ground and in containers. The formal garden leads onto a wildflower meadow extending onto the downs, giving spectacular views of both the ocean and South Downs National Park. Front garden revamped in 2023.
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