As May approaches and the weather begins to warm up and the days become longer, the sight of colourful spring plants and lush greenery can fill you with anticipation and joy. May is a time of hope when everything feels new and full of energy. Whilst there’s still lots to do in the garden this month, make sure to take a step back and admire all you have achieved so far this year. And don’t forget to spend some time visiting some National Garden Scheme gardens. There are plenty of lovely gardens on offer, providing inspirational ideas for planting, friendly advice and of course our now famous tea and cake.
STANLEY FARM A2
Highfield Lane, Liphook, GU30 7LW
Opens Mon 4 May (12-5). Adm £6, chd free. Home- made teas. Refreshments in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK & Brain Tumour Research.
1 acre garden created over the last 15 years around an old West Sussex farmhouse (not open), sitting in the midst of its own fields and woods. The formal garden inc a kitchen garden with heated glasshouse, orchard, espaliered wall trained fruit, lawn with ha-ha and cutting garden. A motley assortment of animals including sheep, donkeys, chickens, ducks and geese. Bluebells flourish in the woods, so feel free to bring dogs and a picnic, and take a walk after visiting the gardens. Wheelchair access via a ramp to view main part of the garden. Difficult access to woods due to muddy, uneven ground.
Fittleworth House Bedham Lane, Fittleworth, Pulborough, RH20 1JH.
Opens every Wed 6 & Wed 13 May (2-5). Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas. Refreshments in aid of Cruse Bereavement Support. Visits also by arrangement 23 Apr to 6 Aug for groups of 5 to 40. Parking for a coach available.
A tranquil, romantic 3 acre country garden with a redesigned walled kitchen garden growing fruit, vegetables, and flowers, inc a large collection of dahlias. A large glasshouse, an old potting shed, mixed flower borders, roses, rhododendrons, and lawns. A magnificent cedar tree overlooks the wisteria- covered, Grade II listed Georgian house (not open). A wild garden with long grass and a 70 metre naturalised stream with ferns and hydrangeas. Featured in The English Garden (Dec 2024) and Gardens Illustrated (April 2025) magazines. The garden sits on a gentle slope but is mostly accessible for wheelchairs and buggies.
The Old Vicarage The Street, Washington, RH20 4AS
opens every Thur 5 Feb to 1 Oct (10am-4pm). Adm £10, chd free. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs. org.uk for information & booking. Self service light refreshments on Thurs (cash only) & picnics welcome. Also open Mon 31 Aug (10am-5pm). Adm £10, chd free. Home-made teas. Purchase ticket in advance or at the gate on the day.
A truly creative garden, nurtured over 35 years to become
a visitor favourite. Spanning 31⁄2 acres, it features formal topiary, seasonal borders, a contemporary water sculpture, an Italianate gazebo, specimen and mature trees, a Japanese garden with waterfall and tea house, a large copse with a stream, a stumpery and treehouse, and a kitchen garden with fruit trees. With 4000 tulips and bulbs planted annually, the garden also opens in Feb for snowdrops. WC available. Featured in RHS The Garden magazine, March 2025. Regional Finalist, The English Garden’s The Nation’s Favourite Gardens 2021. Wheelchair access to front garden; rear garden is on a slope.
Champs Hill Waltham Park Road, Coldwaltham, Pulborough,
RH20 1LY
Opens Sun 10 May (11- 5); Sun 9 Aug (2-5). Adm £7, chd free. Home-made teas. Visits also by arrangement 2 Mar to 4 Sept for groups of 10+. Adm inc tea, coffee & biscuits.
A natural landscape, the garden has been developed around three disused sand quarries with far-reaching views across the Amberley Wildbrooks to the South Downs. A woodland
walk in spring leads you past beautiful sculptures, against a backdrop of colourful rhododendrons and azaleas. In summer the garden is a colourful tapestry of heathers, well-known for their abundance and variety. The travelling exhibition ‘Art of the Newlyn School’ can be viewed in the Music Room on Sun 10 May prior to its two year UK tour. Optional combined garden and art exhibition entry £10 (pay on the day only).
Hammerwood House Iping, Midhurst, GU29 0PF
Opens Sun 10 May (1-5). Adm £7, chd free. Home-made teas.
A large south facing garden with many mature shrubs, including camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas. An arboretum with a variety of flowering and fruit trees. Old yew and beech hedges give a certain amount of formality to this traditional English garden. Tea on the terrace is a must, with the most beautiful view of the South Downs. For the more energetic, there is a woodland walk. Partial wheelchair access as garden is set on a slope.
Bignor Park
Pulborough, RH20 1HG.
Opens Tue 12 May, Tue 16 June, Tue 22 Sept (2-5). Adm £7, chd free. Home-made teas.
11 acres of peaceful garden to explore with magnificent views of the South Downs. Interesting trees, shrubs and wildflower areas. The walled garden has been replanted
with herbaceous borders and the Dutch garden has a new central obelisk and planting inc climbing roses, salvias and echinaceas. Temple, Greek loggia, Zen pond and unusual sculptures. Former home of romantic poet Charlotte Smith, whose sonnets were inspired by Bignor Park. Spectacular cedar of Lebanon and rare Lucombe oak. Wheelchair access to shrubbery and croquet lawn. Gravel paths in rest of garden and steps in stables quadrangle.
Bumble Farm Drungewick Lane, Loxwood, Billingshurst, RH14 0RS.
Opens Sat 16, Sun 17 May, Sat 6, Sun 7 June (2-5). Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas.
A delightful large country garden, passionately and imaginatively created by an enthusiastic owner over the past 20 yrs. The garden features a series of circular lawns, surrounded by borders filled with mass drift and repeat planting of harmonious perennials, roses, shrubs, and more. A newly developed white garden, a wisteria covered pergola, a kitchen and cutting garden, fountains, and various seating areas.
Cookscroft
Bookers Lane, Earnley, Chichester, PO20 7JG.
Opens Sat 16 May (11-4). Adm £6, chd free. Light refreshments. Refreshments in aid of St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Visits also by arrangement 1 May to 6 Sept for groups of up to 25.
A garden for all seasons which delights the visitor. Started in 1988, it features cottage, woodland and Japanese style gardens, water features and borders of perennials with a particular emphasis on southern hemisphere plants. Unusual plants for the plantsman to enjoy, many grown from seed. The differing styles of the garden flow together making it easy to wander anywhere. An article in the Chichester Observer 2025. Wheelchair access over grass, bark paths and unfenced ponds.
Pigeon Mead House
Earnley Manor Close, Earnley, Chichester, PO20 7JQ.
Opens Sat 16, Sun 17 May (11-4). Adm £6, chd free. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs.org.uk for information & booking. Tea, coffee & cake.
A 1⁄3 acre plot about 3⁄4 mile from the coast. The south facing rear garden with a formal structure and informal mixed planting. Features inc a greenhouse, a formal lawn surrounded by beds and espaliered crab apples, a small labyrinth, and a shaded area. It’s a family friendly space with places to sit and enjoy the garden. The front garden inc a wildlife pond, a small meadow area, and a lovely, established magnolia tree.
Meadow Farm
Blackgate Lane, Pulborough, RH20 1DF.
Opens Sun 17 May (1.30-5.30). Adm £7, chd free. Home-made teas. Visits also by arrangement 18 May to 25 June for groups of 12 to 25. Adm inc home-made teas.
A 2 acre garden with wildflower meadows, designed and planted from scratch by the current owners. Features including colour themed beds, double borders, a formal pond, gravel garden, and white garden. A pleached hornbeam avenue with views of the Sussex countryside. The walled garden provides fruit, cut flowers, and vegetables. There is an orchard with a hazelnut walk, a wildlife swimming pond with a bog garden, and a newly planted prairie bed. In 2024, The Sunday Times featured the garden in an article.
The Cottage
Potts Lane, Pulborough, RH20 2BT.
Opens Sat 23 May, Sat 5 Sept (10-4). Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas. Visits also by arrangement 20 May to 4 Sept for groups of 6 to 20.
A quintessential English cottage garden, packed with a mix of perennials and bulbs, set on a potentially challenging, multi-layered site. Comprising four distinct rooms, inc a small roof terrace, a top terrace sitting above the house garden, and a vegetable garden built in what was once a small swimming pool. Every square inch has been used.
Grovelands
Wineham Lane, Wineham, Henfield, BN5 9AW.
Opens Sat 23, Sun 24 May (10-4.30). Adm £8, chd free. Tea, coffee & cake.
A South Downs view welcomes you to this rural garden set in over an acre in the hamlet of Wineham. Created and developed by local landscape designer Sue McLaughlin and the owners, it is designed to delight throughout the seasons. Features inc mixed borders, mature shrubs and orchard.
A vegetable garden with a greenhouse and a pond hides behind a tall, clipped hornbeam hedge.
Peelers Retreat 70 Ford Road, Arundel, BN18 9EX.
Opens 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.
Foxglove Cottage
29 Orchard Road, Horsham, RH13 5NF.
Opens Sun 24 May, Sun 21, Thur 25 June (1-5). Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas inc vegan, gluten & dairy free cake. Visits also by arrangement 26 May to 5 July for groups of 12 to 30. Individuals can ask to be added to an existing group visit.
An unexpected 1⁄4 acre cottage garden. There’s no lawn, but gravel and bark paths divide colour-packed mixed borders, unusual containers, and quirky salvaged items hidden throughout. Water features encourage wildlife. Sit
and enjoy vignettes from a wide variety of seating. At the end of the garden, you’ll find climbers, drought tolerant plants, and a plant nursery. Plenty of ideas to take home. A gravel garden with a large, rusty metal arbour, called the Dome! Members of the Hardy Plant Society. A large selection of unusual plants for sale.
4 Hillside Cottages
Downs Road, West Stoke, Chichester, PO18 9BL.
Opens Sun 24 May, Sun 7 June, Sun 19 July, Sun 16 Aug (2-5). Adm £5, chd free. Home-made teas. Refreshments in aid of St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Visits also by arrangement 24 May to 16 Aug.
In a rural setting, this stunning garden is densely planted with mixed borders and shrubs. It features a large collection of roses, clematis, fuchsias, and dahlias, creating a profusion of colour and scent in a well maintained garden. Please visit www. ngs.org.uk for pop-up openings in June, July, and August. Please note: there are seven steps to access the garden.
9 Puttock Way
Billingshurst, RH14 9ZJ.
Opens Sun 24 May (11-4). Adm £5, chd free. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs.org.uk for information & booking. Home-made teas.
A very small, sloping, new build garden which has been transformed from bare heavy clay into a series of spaces with interesting hard landscaping features. An unexpected cacophony of architectural shapes and textures greets you as you walk through the gate, a true plant lover’s paradise. This space shows what can be achieved in a short space of time through hard work and passion. Awarded gold for Best Pollinator Garden and Best Large Front Garden, and overall Pollinator Category winner at the 2025 Billingshurst in Bloom Front Garden competition.
Shalford House
Square Drive, Kingsley Green, GU27 3LW.
Opens Sun 24 May, Sun 2 Aug (12-5). Adm £10, chd free. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs. org.uk for information & booking. Home-made teas. Visits also by arrangement 18 May to 31 Aug for groups of 40 to 60.
A garden designer and plantsman’s garden, set in 40 acres, with 10 acres of well maintained gardens created over 30 yrs. Featuring various herbaceous borders, ponds, a waterfall lake, and a 120 metre rill. Walled garden with large Alitex greenhouse with interesting plants inc acers, hostas, Cornus kousa and hydrangeas, all within a beautiful setting. A further 30 acres with arboretum and lake is perfect for picnics. Flat gravel areas with York stone terrace around the house with access to the main sloping lawns via gently sloping paths. Disabled WC.
1 Pest Cottage
Carron Lane, Midhurst, GU29 9LF.
Opens Fri 29 May (2-5); Sun 31 May (1-5). Adm £5, chd free.
This edge of woodland architect’s garden, of approx 3⁄4 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).
Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors The National Garden Scheme have donated over £77.8 million to nursing and health charities and in 2025 made an annual donation of over £3.8 million. The core beneficiaries include Carers Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Parkinson’s UK and The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.
The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – they are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. They also support charities doing amazing work in gardens and health and grant bursaries to help community gardening projects.
To learn more about the National Garden Scheme, discover your perfect garden or find out how to open your own garden, visit the website. For gardens opening in Sussex, pick up a copy of The National Garden Scheme Sussex Booklet, available free from many local stores, garden centres and libraries and as an online Flip Book.
