National Garden Scheme - Sussex - 2025 booklet

26 SUSSEX 41 DOWN PLACE A3 South Harting, Petersfield, GU31 5PN. Mrs David Thistleton-Smith, 01730 825374, selina@downplace.co.uk. 1m SE of South Harting. B2141 to Chichester, turn L down unmarked lane below top of hill. Coming from Chichester on B2141 take turning R just after the South Downs Way crossing the road. Sat 22, Sun 23 Mar, Sun 15, Mon 16 June (1.30-5.30). Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas & cream teas. Visits also by arrangement Mar to end of July for groups of 15 to 40. Set on the South Downs with panoramic views out to the undulating wooded countryside. The garden merges seamlessly into its surrounding landscape with rose and herbaceous borders that have been moulded into the sloping ground. There is a well-stocked vegetable garden and walks shaded by beech trees which surround the natural wildflower meadow where various native orchids flourish. The wildflower meadow is covered in natural wild daffodils in April, cowslips in May, and six varieties of wild orchids, plus various other wild flowers from the end of May through to early July. Seeds from the meadow are used to regenerate devastated areas in the South Downs National Park. Substantial top terrace and borders accessible to wheelchairs. egbc Festival of the Garden 17–20 July 2025 →Charleston in Firle, East Sussex Explore our entangled relationship with the natural world 42 DRIFTWOOD D3 4 Marine Drive, Bishopstone, Seaford, BN25 2RS. Geoff Stonebanks & Mark Glassman, 01323 899296, visitdriftwood@gmail.com, www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk. A259 between Seaford & Newhaven. From Seaford, turn R into Bishopstone Rd, then immed L into Marine Dr, 2nd on R. Only park same side as house please, not on bend beyond the drive. Visits by arrangement 1 June to 3 Aug for groups of up to 25. Individuals welcome. Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas. On BBC Gardeners’ World in 2024 Monty Don said ‘when it comes to growing conditions, I don’t think you will find any garden in the land that is more different to Longmeadow than that belonging to Geoff Stonebanks’. The Sunday Times 2024 feature on age-proofing said ‘visit this rejigged award- winning plot now opened up so the lush and varied plantings and theatrical vignettes are easier to appreciate’. Check out the 242 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, awarded three successive Certificates of Excellence and four successive Travellers Choice Awards. Selection of Geoff’s home-made cakes, all served on vintage china, on trays, in the garden. Sorry, no WC. Second appearance on BBC Gardeners’ World (22 Mar 2024). Also in 2024 featured in Sunday Times (18 Aug) and Garden Answers (July). Featured on local TV news, both ITV and BBC plus 20 minute film made for Latest TV Brighton (July). fCbc Our donation in 2024 has enabled Parkinson’s UK to fund 3 new nursing posts this year directly supporting people with Parkinson’s.