Two English country house gardens in Thakeham opening for the National Garden Scheme

Cumberland House https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/42203/cumberland-house is a Georgian village house (not open), next to the C12 church with a beautiful, mature ¾ acre English country garden comprising a walled garden laid out as a series of rooms with well-stocked flower beds, two rare ginkgo trees and yew topiary, leading to an informal garden with vegetable, herb and fruit areas, pleached limes and a lawn shaded by a copper beech tree.

Thakeham Place Farm https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/37443/thakeham_place_farm is set the middle of a working dairy farm, the garden has evolved over the last 30 years. Taking advantage of its sunny position on free draining greensand, the borders are full of sun loving plants and grasses with a more formal area surrounding the farmhouse (not open). Lovely views across the farm to Warminghurst from the orchard.

Admission £10 (includes both gardens) children free. Home-made teas at Thakeham Pace Farm. Book online or pay on the day. Visit the NGS website https://ngs.org.uk for more details.

If you’re passionate about your garden and your friends and family tell you how lovely it is, why not open it to visitors with the National Garden Scheme?

The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and raises impressive amounts of money for some of the UK's best-loved nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated more than £70 million to our beneficiary charities, and in 2023 made donations of over £3.4 million. Founded in 1927 to support district nurses, we are now the most significant charitable funder of nursing in the UK and our beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – we are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. We fund projects which promote gardens and gardening as therapy, and in 2017, we launched our annual Gardens and Health Week to raise awareness of the topic. Our funding also supports the training of gardeners and offers respite to horticultural workers who have fallen on difficult times.

To learn more about the National Garden Scheme, discover your perfect garden or find out how to open your own garden, visit https://ngs.org.uk

West Sussex gardens opening in August.

The Old Vicarage, Washington

As well as the stunning views looking towards the North Downs, enhanced by mature and various specimen trees, the garden has many pockets of interest. There is a Japanese garden with its waterfall, pond, bamboo and grasses, a further large water garden and numerous creatively planted herbaceous borders. A working kitchen garden has glasshouses, fruit cages, orchard and vegetables.

The Italianate gazebo with green oak columns and lead roof offers a wonderfully comfortable place to sit and contemplate the beauty of this garden. The treehouse is much loved by young and old alike, from here the nature viewing platform opens on to the woodland copse area which incorporates a stream and architectural stumpery. Everyone loves the topiary of characters who watch over the tennis court.

Open every Thursday in August and Monday, August 26 (10am – 5pm), pre-booking essential. Adults £7, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk

Self service light refreshments (cash only) and picnics welcome.

Fittleworth House, Pulborough

Three-acre tranquil, romantic, country garden with walled kitchen garden growing a wide range of fruit, vegetables and flowers including a large collection of dahlias. Large glasshouse and old potting shed, mixed flower borders, roses, rhododendrons and lawns.

Magnificent 115ft tall cedar overlooks wisteria covered Grade II listed Georgian house (not open). Wild garden, long grass areas and stream.

Opens Wednesday, August 7 (2pm-5pm), Adults £5, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk or pay on the day. Home-made teas.

Champs Hill, Pulborough

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, which are renowned for their abundance and variety.

Opens Sunday, August 11, (2pm-5pm). Adults £5, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk or pay on the day. Home-made teas.

4 Hillside Cottages, West Stoke

In a rural setting this stunning garden is densely planted with mixed borders and shrubs. Large collection of roses, clematis, fuchsias and dahlias, a profusion of colour and scent in a well maintained garden.

Opens Sunday, August 18 (11am-4pm). Adults £5, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk or pay on the day. Home-made teas.

Whitehanger, Haslemere

Set in six acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park surrounded by NT woodland, this rural garden was started in 2012 when a new Huf house (not open) was built on a derelict site. Now there are lawned areas with beds of perennials, a serenity pool with Koi carp, a wildflower meadow, a Japanese garden, a sculpture garden, a woodland walk, a large rockery and an exotic walled garden.

Opens Sunday, August 18, pre-booking essential. Adults £6.50, children £6.50. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk. Tea.

Peelers Retreat, Arundel

This inspirational space is a delight with plenty of shaded areas to sit and relax, enjoying delicious teas. Interlocking beds packed with year-round colour and scent, shaded by specimen trees, inventive water feature including a rill, raised fish pond, working Victorian fireplace and woodland sculptures.

Opens Tuesday 20th and Saturday 24th August (2pm – 5pm). Adults £5, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.ukor pay on the day. Home-made teas.

The Folly, Chichester

Colourful cottage garden surrounding a C16 period house (not open), set in pretty downland village of Charlton, close to Levin Down Nature Reserve. Herbaceous borders well-stocked with a wide range of plants. Variety of perennials, grasses, annuals and shrubs to provide long season of colour and interest. Old well. Busy bees.

Opens Sunday, August 25. Adults £5, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.ukor pay on the day. Home-made teas.

Durrance Manor, Shipley

This two-acre garden surrounding a medieval hall house (not open) with Horsham stone roof, enjoys uninterrupted views over a ha-ha of the South Downs and Chanctonbury Ring. There are many different gardens here, Japanese inspired gardens, a large pond, wildflower meadow and orchard, colourful long borders and vegetable garden. There is also a Monet style bridge over a pond with water lilies.

Opens Monday, August 26 (12pm – 6pm). Adults £8, children free. Book online at https://ngs.org.uk or pay on the day. Home-made teas.