National Garden Scheme - Sussex - 2026 booklet

48 SUSSEX 99 PARSONAGE FARM B2 Kirdford, nr Billingshurst, RH14 0NH. David & Victoria Thomas. 5m NE of Petworth. Located between Petworth & Wisborough Green in the village of Kirdford. Opp side of the road from the turn to Plaistow. Use postcode RH14 0NG to reach Plaistow turning. Fri 12 June, Sun 6 Sept (2-6). Adm £10, chd free. Home-made teas. Refreshments in aid of The Jane Lemon Foundation. Major garden in beautiful setting developed over 30 yrs with fruit theme and many unusual plants. Formally laid out on grand scale with long vistas. C18 walled garden with borders in apricot, orange, scarlet and crimson. Topiary walk, pleached lime allée, tulip tree avenue, rose borders and vegetable garden with trained fruit. Turf amphitheatre, autumn shrubbery, yew cloisters and jungle walk. Featured in Gardens Illustrated (Dec 2024) and previously in Country Life. Wheelchair access to the whole garden with one step that can be avoided. Accessible WC. eCbc 101 PEMBURY HOUSE C3 Ditchling Road, Clayton, BN6 9PH. Nick & Jane Baker, www.pemburyhouse.co.uk. 6m N of Brighton, off A23. No parking at house. Car park opp church on Underhill Ln off A273 (height restrictor). Follow signs across playing field to footpath to back gate. Good public transport. Use safety pedestrian refuges. Every Thur and Fri 12 Feb to 6 Mar (10.30-3.30). Adm £12, chd free. Home-made teas inc. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs.org.uk for information & booking. Timed slots at 10.30am & 2pm. Depending on the vagaries of the season, hellebores and snowdrops are at their best in February and March. It is a country garden, tidy but not manicured. New borders and features. Winding paths give a choice of walks through 3 acres of garden, which is in and enjoys views of the South Downs National Park. Suitable footwear, macs and winter woollies advised. A German visitor observed ‘this is the perfect woodland garden’. Year-round interest. Plants for sale. Cash only. fgbc Parsonage Farm © Leigh Clapp 100 PEELERS RETREAT B3 70 Ford Road, Arundel, BN18 9EX. Tony & Lizzie Gilks. 1m S of Arundel. At Chichester r’about take exit to Ford & Bognor Regis onto Ford Rd. We are situated just before Maxwell Rd on the RHS. Sat 4, Sat 18, Tue 28 Apr, Sat 23, Tue 26 May, Tue 2, Sat 6, Tue 16 June, Tue 7, Sat 11, Tue 21 July (2-5). Adm £5, chd free. Home- made teas. Refreshments in aid of Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice. This inspirational space is a delight with permanent gazebos and comfortable seating to sit and relax, enjoying delicious teas. When cold we light the fire for our guests. Interlocking beds packed with year-round colour and scent, shaded by specimen trees, inventive water features and a range of quirky woodland sculptures. fbc 102 PENNS IN THE ROCKS D2 Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9PA. Mr & Mrs Hugh Gibson, 01892 864244, www.pennsintherocks.co.uk. 7m SW of Tunbridge Wells. On B2188 Groombridge to Crowborough road, just S of Xrd to Withyham. For SatNav use TN6 1UX which takes you to the white drive gates, through which you should enter the property. Sun 29 Mar, Sun 17 May, Sun 26 July (2-6). Adm £7.50, chd free. Home-made teas. Cash only on the day. Refreshments in aid of local charity. Visits also by arrangement Apr to July for groups of 10+. A large garden with a spectacular outcrop of rocks, 140 million yrs old. The grounds inc a lake, C18 and C20 temples, and woods. Daffodils, bluebells, azaleas, and magnolias. An old walled garden with herbaceous borders, roses, and shrubs. A 1928 pool and pond gardens. Part C18 house (not open) once owned by William Penn of Pennsylvania. Restricted wheelchair access. No disabled WC. egb PENSHURST PLACE & GARDENS Penshurst, TN11 8DG. See Kent County Booklet or visit ngs.org.uk 103 1 PEST COTTAGE A2 Carron Lane, Midhurst, GU29 9LF. Jennifer Lewin. W edge of Midhurst, behind Carron Lane Cemetery. Free parking at recreation ground at top of Carron Ln. Short walk along woodland track to garden, please follow signs. Fri 29 May (2-5); Sun 31 May (1-5). Adm £5, chd free. This edge of woodland architect’s garden, of approx ¾ acre, sits on a sloping sandy site. Designed to support biodiversity, a series of outdoor spaces connected with informal paths through lightly managed areas, creates a secret world tucked into the surrounding common land. The chosen planting palette is being adapted in response to changing weather patterns. Exhibition of architect’s projects. Featured in Episode 18 of Gardeners’ World (2023). fp