Embark on a journey of blooming beauty, venturing through formal gardens bursting with vibrant flowerbeds, exploring enchanting woodland landscapes, or wandering through historical grounds whispering tales of times past. The diverse gardens surrounding Tunbridge Wells offer something for everyone, from families seeking a fun-filled day to history buffs delving into the past, and nature lovers yearning for a peaceful retreat.
Penshurst Place & Gardens
The historic walled gardens are the jewel in the crown of Penshurst Place; with records dating back to 1346, they provide a superb example of Elizabethan garden design. Visitors to the gardens will find 11 acres of garden “rooms” providing a variety of form, foliage and bloom throughout the year. In 2016 the historic Blue and Yellow border was replanted; as well as reinstating key architectural elements and creating a new planting scheme, two new varieties of iris; “Penshurst Blue” and “Penshurst Yellow” (specially bred for Penshurst Place by Olga Wells from the Kent Iris Society) have been added to the beautiful border as part of the restoration project.
Other garden highlights are the 100 metre peony border that blooms in late May, providing a spectacular array of pinks and fuchsias for the early summer. The Orchard, and newly restored Rose Garden are also not to be missed, showing a variety of plant life and colour throughout the season.
Surrounding the formal gardens is the ancient historic parkland of the Penshurst Place estate, which features a rich mix of landscapes, habitats and wildlife.
The Garden Restaurant and Porcupine Café serve refreshments perfect for lunch or tea.
Pashley Manor Gardens, near Hawkhurst
Pashley, in Ticehurst, on the border of East Sussex and Kent, is an ideal destination for garden lovers, art and history enthusiasts, keen photographers or those looking for a peaceful and enjoyable day out surrounded by beauty and nature.
One of the finest gardens in England, award winning Pashley Manor Gardens offers a sumptuous blend of romantic landscaping, imaginative plantings, fine old trees, fountains, springs and large ponds.
Whenever you visit there is something to delight the senses – from bluebells, wisteria and thousands of tulips to roses and summer produce from the kitchen garden, to delicate sweet peas and the heady scent of lilies, then colourful displays of hundreds of dahlias.Experience these magnificent gardens from 1 April to 30 September, Tuesday to Saturday, or visit during a special event. Guided tours or short talks with the owner or head gardener are available.
Enjoy ‘fabulous homemade food and warm hospitality at arguably the best garden café in the county’.
Hole Park Gardens
Near the idyllic village of Rolvenden and the enchanting medieval town of Cranbrook, lies Hole Park Gardens. Previously featured in The Daily Telegraph as one of the best places to see bluebells in England! An attractive 15-acre garden, Hole Park is described as a hidden gem of the Weald.
Hole Park has been owned (and still is) by the Barham family for the past four generations. The alluring gardens possess a vast panorama over 200 acres of parkland, hills, woods and fields of the surrounding pretty countryside. An expert combination of formality and naturalistic planting with colour bursting forth through all the four English seasons.
In spring, come and revel in the superlative indigo bluebell haze, as well as daffodils, camellias, wisteria and magnolia to mention just a few. In summer, the herbaceous borders are crammed with colour and the exotic border comes alive later in the summer. The woodlands and gardens continue to delight in autumn as trees established for their autumn colour present their ardent twilight dress.
Homemade tea and lunches are available in the Coach House.
Great Dixter House & Gardens
Situated north west of Rye in the village of Northiam, this medieval house is surrounded by its glorious gardens. It was purchased in 1910 by Christopher Lloyd’s father, who commissioned the designer, Sir Edwin Lutyens to restore and enlarge the property and design the gardens.
Garden expert and gardening writer Lloyd, spent his childhood at the family home and returned there after a brief time away experimenting in new ways of gardening and planting.
The garden that he created is full of colour, with blankets of meadow flowers and bulbs and early purple orchids in the orchard. The Long Border is a spectacular mixture of climbers, annuals, perennials and shrubs reflecting Lloyd’s unconventional determination to combine colours to “exuberant” effect.The exotic garden is a riot of vibrant tropical colours and shapes. The borders in the High Garden are planted with oriental poppies and lupins alongside vegetables.
Light refreshments, hot and cold drinks are available all day in the Loggia kiosk.
Merriments Gardens
This four-acre garden is a well-kept secret, with romantic pools and pergolas surrounded by deep meandering borders resplendent with exciting colour combinations, textures and scent.
In the rural backdrop of Sandhurst and Hawkhurst, Merriments is only a half hour drive from Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Each season has its highlights. Highlights include a wildlife garden with bird hide, gravel garden, formal potager garden with rill, two ponds and a verdant bog garden complete with deck walkway.
A welcoming tearoom serves home-made lunches and teas and there is well stocked nursery. Merriments featured in the Daily Mail’s “20 Enchanting Gardens So You MUST Visit” guide!
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens
With a splendid history of horticulture since 1842, these delightful gardens are particularly attractive right through spring when the magnificent displays of bluebells are in full bloom, quickly followed by a vast array of specimen rhododendron and azaleas.
The scented Rose Walk is planted with roses of every colour and provides striking visuals throughout the summer.
The Walled Garden is the inspiration for the Garden’s name. It has “Himalayan inspired grass-sculpted terraces” as well as a large pond and formal vegetable garden. This has only been open to the public since 2013.
Near to Sevenoaks, learn about Riverhills fascinating history, its links to Darwin and the Great Plant Hunters. And, see the incredibly far reaching views over the Weald of Kent too.
Visit the Riverhill Café for home cooked food using local ingredients and produce from the gardens.
Great Comp Garden
These 7 acres of lovely gardens, that surround a 17th century manor, house are teeming with colour and interest all year round.
Often grouped companionably together, the magnolia, azalea and rhododendrons provide a vibrant display. Then follows the collection of Mediterranean plants in the Italian garden which flower throughout the summer, including the largest collection of salvias in Europe.
A variety of ornamental grasses intersperse the colourful borders offsetting the myriad hues of late autumn.
Dotted around the gardens are a series of seats surrounded by perfumed flowers and shrubs that invite you to sit and linger as you contemplate the gardens.
The Old Dairy tearooms are open for morning coffee and homemade lunches and teas. Only 30 minutes’ drive North of Tunbridge Wells, near Sevenoaks.
Water Lane Walled Garden
Water Lane is a walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses on the Kent and Sussex borders. A long-term project over many years to come, the site is being sympathetically transformed into a working kitchen garden with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events. The garden restaurant is open on the terrace, alongside creative courses and workshops, select garden plants for sale and a small shop.
