*Some garden owners choose to donate the money raised from teas to other charities close to their heart.
Explore our lovely new NGS gardens
Thursday 5th and Saturday 7th June with Shorts Farm (12pm-5pm).
A Victorian allotment style kitchen garden has been recreated providing year-round vegetables, and fruit from strategically placed trees around the house. There are chickens and sometimes bottle-fed orphan lambs in the adjacent small field that abounds with wildflowers in the lower part. Look out for how the tiered levels have been used to provide niches for plants.
Thursday 5th and Saturday 7th June with The Old Manor (12pm-5pm).
A ½ acre, classic cottage garden set around a C15 house of archaeological interest (not open). A thatched summerhouse, surrounded by herbaceous borders and lawned areas, separated by beds of perennial planting interspersed with occasional trees. There is a range of colour from early summer into late autumn, with some areas left wild. The garden has become more nature friendly over the years.
Friday 6th June and Friday 4th July (2pm-5pm) pre-booking essential.
Spend a delightful afternoon listening to an informative talk on keeping your roses thriving. You will then have time to explore the rose garden, a summer paradise, especially from June to August when the roses are in full bloom. The garden transforms into a vibrant display of colours and fragrances during these months. The roses, meticulously cared for, showcase a stunning array of varieties, each with its unique charm and beauty.
Saturday 7th June (Timed slots at 12pm, 2pm & 4pm) pre-booking essential.
Swallow Lodge, St Leonard's Park
Small rural and charming garden surrounded by fields, focusing on roses and delphiniums with a large cottage border and vegetable garden.
Saturday 7th and 15th June (11am-4.30pm) pre-booking essential.
Created from scratch on a new build development this space has been transformed into a haven for bees, butterflies and birds. From an uninspiring turfed area it is now full of colour and interest. After attending a garden design course at nearby West Dean College, the owners created their own landscaping and planting plans, and within two years they have seen a remarkable transformation.
Sunday 8th June and Sunday 20th July (2pm-6pm)
Talma is a beautiful ⅓ acre garden which is in four parts. The front wild garden leads into a pretty cottage style area with small paths and little magical woodland walk. The main lawn has a gazebo and cutting border with a little gate going through to a small shady vegetable plot. Many surprises greet you as you explore this charming oasis.
Thursday 12th June and Thursday 17th July with Woodlands (11am-5pm) pre-booking essential.
This is a new garden, planted in autumn 2023 after finishing a new build on site. We have soft, prairie planting in the front and a rambling, informal cottage garden around the back, with a cutting bed, soft fruit, vegetables and a small natural pond. Stunning views of the South Downs.
Thursday 12th June and Thursday 17th July (11am-5pm) with The Orchard pre-booking essential.
Quiet location at the foot of the South Downs with lovely views and easy access for a walk. East, south and west facing with beautiful herbaceous perennials, alliums, shrubs, roses and grasses set against lawn, gravel and decking. Small pond, and tree owl and glass flower sculptures.
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June (11am-5pm)
A garden of just under 2 acres adjoining the East Glebe Field in the village. It is divided into a series of different rooms including a large vegetable garden, a large and small greenhouse, an orchard, a duck pond, an area of lawn with ornamental beds, parterres with flowers in season and herb beds. Also, a large and unusual tree sculpture.
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June (10.30am-5pm)
Thursday 26th June and Thursday 3rd July (10am-4pm)
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.
Thursday 10th and 17th July (2am-5pm) pre-booking essential.
A north facing, ¼ acre garden situated at the edge of the city, wedged between tall trees and open agricultural land 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.
Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th July (Two hour timed slots at 9.30am, 12pm & 2.30pm) pre-booking essential.
Sullington Old Rectory, Storrington (Returning to the NGS)
With a backdrop of stunning views of the South Downs, the naturalistic style of this beautiful country garden sits perfectly into the surrounding landscape. The rarely opened garden including a potager, orchard, herb garden, mature trees and shrubs, South African themed border, newly extended large perennial borders, a profusion of grasses and experimental planting in the moist meadows.
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th July (11am-5pm)
A formal front garden with sunken centrepiece and rose and flower beds of approx ½ acre. Large rear garden consisting of small woods, croquet lawn with beds, natural swimming pond and large summerhouse, small orchard and meadow, and walled area by pickleball court. Many interesting trees including a 500 year old sweet chestnut.
Sunday 27th July (10am-5pm) guided tours on the hour
Architectural Plants, North Heath
Architectural Plants is home to an ensemble of captivating garden spaces designed to inspire you. Explore the Mediterranean lake garden and surrounding bankside walk tended by Head Gardener Colin and his apprentices. Italian cypress, olives, pines, hardy palms, spiky plants, and bamboo grove. The guided tour inc the large Acer house, the greenhouse of exciting and rare exotics, and a specialist Niwaki Production Zone. Prepare to enter exotica.
Sunday 27th July and Sunday 24th August (1pm-5.30pm) with Shalford House
3-acre informal garden linked to an attached 5-acre wood. With curving flower borders adjoining the lawns to the front of the house with meandering gravel paths. Mediterranean planting, low circular hedging and stone fountain to the rear. The hard landscaping at the back of the house melds into woodland softened with ferns, hostas and tree ferns.
Sunday 27th July and Sunday 24th August (1pm-5.30pm) with The Beeches
Shalford House, Kingsley Green
A garden designer and plantsman’s garden, set in 40 acres, with 10 acres of well maintained gardens created over 30 years. Featuring various herbaceous borders, ponds, a waterfall lake, and a 120 metre rill. Walled garden with large Alitex greenhouse with interesting plants including acers, hostas, Cornus kousa and hydrangeas, all within a beautiful setting.
Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August (9am-5pm)
Tours and talks of sustainable working flower farm, run by two young horticulturalists with a passion for the environment. We are on a mission to spread the word about British grown flowers. A wide range of flowers grown across a 1-acre site. Fresh, chemical free bunches of flowers available. Enjoy refreshments with a view of the flower field.
With record donations in 2024 the power of gardens and garden visits for good causes is evident. 2024 was another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme with the charity donating a record £3,501,227 from the 2024 garden opening season. The impact of these donations to our major nursing and health beneficiaries means that thousands of people who live with health conditions such as cancer or Parkinson’s, who have poor mental health, or who struggle financially as unpaid carers, have been supported by our funding of the nurses, health professionals and case workers who support them. Our funding has also provided support to those in the Gardens and Health sector along with Community Gardens and supported gardeners through traineeships.
To learn more about the above gardens including further opening dates and admission costs visit https://ngs.org.ukNB Occasionally Garden openings need to be cancelled. Always check on the NGS website beforehand.
Online readers can click on this links in the titles and the interactive
National Garden Scheme 2025 Sussex Booklet