April is almost upon us and on Sunday the 20th April, we celebrate Easter. The pace of gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme across the county now begins to accelerate, as we head towards the summer months. As usual, the scheme’s Publicity Officer in East & Mid Sussex, Geoff Stonebanks, highlights some lovely plots for readers to visit, with input from his colleague in West Sussex, Kate Harrison. Let’s hope we don’t see too many April showers to dampen our visits. We’ll start the ball rolling with three brand new gardens for 2025. Remember full details on all the gardens with booking links can be found at www.ngs.org.uk
Duckyls, Selsfield Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4LP.
Open Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th from midday to 4 pm with entry £8. Two hour timed slots at 12 pm & 2 pm with pre-booking essential.
A recently renovated 15 acre garden with wonderful views across Sussex. Wander through the rhododendron woodland and enjoy seeing a newly planted orchard, ponds and a more formal secret garden. The garden was mostly laid out in the 1920s and 30s by a dedicated plant collector and orchid breeder. Visitors can delight in the blazes of spring colour. The garden has some steep slopes and many climbs.
Kotimaki, Tottingworth Park, Broad Oak, Heathfield, TN21 8UH.
Open Saturday 26th from 10 am to midday with entry £12 and children £6, inclusive of beverage and biscuits. Pre-booking is essential and visit includes a talk about the garden at 10:30 am.
This is a large creatively planted garden featuring a long double border within yew hedging, rockery, shade garden, exotic garden, pot garden, wildflower meadows and a kitchen garden. There is a real emphasis on continuity of interest through imaginative mixed plantings of shrubs, climbers, perennials, bulbs, annuals and self-sowers. See a varied collection of wisterias trained as shrubs on trellis work and on a pergola.
The Old Rectory Warbleton, Kingsley Hill, Warbleton, TN21 9PT.
Open Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th from 11 am to 4 pm with entry £9.Pre-booking essential.
Nestled in the High Weald AONB, The Old Rectory garden was re-imagined by renowned designer Arne Maynard. His vision blends formal elements like yew and beech topiary, a knot garden, and herbaceous borders with wild flowers and rambling roses. A stream separates the formal garden from an orchard interplanted with roses and wild flowers. Over 3000 tulips bloom in spring. Other features include a cutting garden, pond, copse, meadows, pot displays and gravel garden.
Judy’s Cottage Garden, 33 The Plantation, Worthing, BN13 2AE.
Open Friday 18th from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm with entry £5.
A beautiful medium sized cottage garden with something of interest all year-round. The garden has several mature trees creating a feeling of seclusion. The informal beds contain a mixture of shrubs, perennials, cottage garden plants and spring bulbs. There are little hidden areas to enjoy, a small fish pond and other water features. There is also a pretty log cabin overlooking the garden.
Newtimber Place, Newtimber, BN6 9BU.
Open Sunday 13th from 2 pm to 5.30 pm with entry £7.
Beautiful 17th century moated house with gardens and woods full of bulbs and wild flowers in spring. Wander among the herbaceous borders and lawns and view the moat flanked by water plants. See mature trees, wild garden, ducks and fish.
Banks Farm, Boast Lane, Barcombe, Lewes, BN8 5DY.
Open Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th from 11am to 4pm with entry £5.
A nine acre garden set in rural countryside with extensive lawns and shrub beds which merge with the more naturalistic woodland garden, set around the lake. An orchard, vegetable garden, ponds and a wide variety of plant species add to an interesting and very tranquil garden.
Sandhill Farm House, Nyewood Road, Rogate, Petersfield, GU31 5HU.
Open Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th from 1 pm to 4 pm with entry £8.
See the front and rear gardens broken up into garden rooms including a small kitchen garden. The front garden has a small woodland area, planted with early spring flowering shrubs, ferns and bulbs. There is a white and green garden, large leaf border and terraced area. At the rear see rose borders, a small decorative vegetable garden, red border and grasses border.
The Garden House, Warleigh Road, Brighton, BN1 4NT.
Open Friday 11th and Sunday 13th from 1 pm to 5 pm with entry £6.
One of Brighton’s secret gardens which aims to provide year-round interest with trees, shrubs, herbaceous borders and annuals, fruit and vegetables, two glasshouses, a pond and rockery. A friendly garden, always changing with a touch of magic to delight visitors. Above all, it is a slice of the country in the midst of a bustling city. Plants for sale.
Rymans, Appledram Lane South, Apuldram, Chichester, PO20 7EG.
Open Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th from 2 pm to 5 pm with entry £6.
Wander through the walled and other gardens surrounding this 15th century stone house which features bulbs, flowering shrubs, roses, ponds, and potager. See many unusual and rare trees and shrubs. In late spring the wisterias are spectacular.
If you’ve enjoyed this post about Sussex NGS gardens to visit this Easter, you may also like:
