National Garden Scheme season gets off to a wonderful, bejewelled start with Snowdrop and Spring Flower gardens opening in West Sussex.

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The National Garden Scheme season gets off to a wonderful, bejewelled start with Snowdrop and Spring Flower gardens. From swathes of snowy white blooms to colourful mixtures of aconites, hellebores, iris and crocus under early blossom there is a garden visit to lift your spirits as the year begins.

Four inspirational snowdrop gardens will be opening their gates in West Sussex this February and Crosslands Flower Nursery, Walberton will be holding two-hour tours of their three acres of glasshouses filled to the brim with Sussex grown alstroemeria.

And this is just the beginning: 81 fabulous West Sussex gardens will welcome you over the next nine months including 19 opening for the first time.

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To find your perfect garden or to find out more about the gardens featured below, visit ngs.org.uk, download the National Garden Scheme app or pick up a free copy of The Sussex National Garden Scheme Booklet available from February in many local stores, garden centres and libraries.

Crocus at Highdown Gardens WorthingCrocus at Highdown Gardens Worthing
Crocus at Highdown Gardens Worthing

The Old Vicarage Washington

https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/21793/the-old-vicarage

The 3½ acres gardens at The Old Vicarage are set around a 1832 Regency house (not open). The front is formally laid out with topiary, wide lawn, mixed border and contemporary water sculpture. The rear features new and mature trees from C19, herbaceous borders, water garden and stunning uninterrupted views of the North Downs. The Japanese garden with waterfall and pond leads to a large copse, stream, treehouse and stumpery. Each year 2000 tulips are planted for spring as well as another 2000 snowdrops and mixed bulbs throughout the garden.

The Old Vicarage The Street Washington RH20 4AS Is open for the National Garden Scheme every Thursday, February 6 to October 2 (10-4). Admission £8, children free. Pre-booking essential, please visit the NGS website. Self-service light refreshments on Thursday (cash only) & picnics welcome. Monday 21 Apr, Monday 26 May, Sunday 27 July, Monday 25 Aug (10-5). Admission £8, children free. Purchase ticket in advance or at the gate on the day. Home-made teas.

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Crosslands Flower Nursery WalbertonCrosslands Flower Nursery Walberton
Crosslands Flower Nursery Walberton

Visits also by arrangement 17 March to 2 October for groups of 12 to 30. No private group visits on Thursdays.

Sandhill Farm House Rogate

https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/19183/sandhill-farm-house

Home of author and principal of The English Gardening School.

Spring flowers at Sandhill Farm House RogateSpring flowers at Sandhill Farm House Rogate
Spring flowers at Sandhill Farm House Rogate

The front and rear gardens at Sandhill Farm House are broken up into garden rooms including a small kitchen garden. Front garden with small woodland area, planted with early spring flowering shrubs, ferns and bulbs. White and green garden, large leaf border and terraced area. The rear garden has rose borders, small decorative vegetable garden, red border and grasses border. Snowdrop day on Sun 9 Feb.

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Sandhill Farm House Nyewood Road Rogate Petersfield GU31 5HU is open for the National Garden Scheme Sunday 9 February (12-4), Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April (1-4) and Sunday 27th April (2-5). Admission £8, children free. Pay on the day. Home-made teas.

Highdown Gardens Worthing

https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/6351/highdown-gardens

Spring Blossom at Highdown Gardens WorthingSpring Blossom at Highdown Gardens Worthing
Spring Blossom at Highdown Gardens Worthing

Highdown Gardens were created by Sir Frederick Stern. They are home to rare plants and trees, many grown from seed collected by Wilson, Farrer and Kingdon-Ward. A fully equipped glasshouse enables the propagation of this National Plant Collection. A visitor centre shares stories of the plants and people behind the gardens.

Highdown is offering Snowdrop Identification tours on the 13 Feb and Peony Identification tours on the 1 May (not for NGS), for more information and booking please see garden website http://www.highdowngardens.co.uk

Highdown Gardens 33 Highdown Rise, Littlehampton Road Goring-by-Sea Worthing BN12 6FB is open for the National Garden Scheme Thursday 13 Feb (10-4.30), Thursday 1st May (10-8). Admission by donation.

The Manor of Dean Petworth

https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/3616/manor-of-dean

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The Manor of Dean garden is a 3 acres traditional English garden with extensive views of the South Downs. There are herbaceous borders, early spring bulbs, a bluebell woodland walk, a walled kitchen garden with fruit, vegetables and cutting flowers. NB under long term programme of restoration, some parts of the garden may be affected.

Daffodils at The Manor of Dean PetworthDaffodils at The Manor of Dean Petworth
Daffodils at The Manor of Dean Petworth

Manor of Dean Tillington Petworth GU28 9AP is open for the National Garden Scheme Sunday 2 February (2-4), Sunday 9th March (2-5) and Sunday 27th April (2-5). Admission £5, children free. Book in advance on the NGS website or pay on the day. Teas. Visits also by arrangement 3 February to 18 May for groups of 20+.

Crosslands Flower Nursery

https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/45634/crosslands-flower-nursery

A two hour all access tour of a fourth generation, award-winning, sustainably run flower nursery with 3 acres of glasshouses filled to the brim with Sussex grown alstroemeria. There will be an opportunity to purchase flowers at the end of the tour.

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Crosslands Flower Nursery Barnham Lane Walberton Arundel BN18 0AX is open for the National Garden Scheme Thursday 20 February, Tuesday 4th and Tuesday 11th March (10-12) Admission £10, children free. Pre-booking essential, please visit the NGS website. Visits also by arrangement 3 Feb to 28 Mar for groups of 10 to 30.

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.

Main beneficiaries:

The Queen’s Nursing Institute £500,000

Marie Curie £450,000

Macmillan Cancer Support £450,000

Hospice UK £450,000

Carers Trust £350,000

Parkinson’s UK £350,000

Gardens and Health:

Maggie’s £122,227

Horatio’s Garden £90,000

Army Benevolent Fund £80,000

John King Brain Tumour Foundation £50,000

Cancer Help Preston £50,000

Country Trust £25,000

Support for gardeners:

English Heritage £125,000

Perennial £100,000

National Botanic Garden of Wales £26,000

Bankside Open Spaces Trust £21,000

Professional Gardeners’ Trust £20,000

The Garden Museum £10,000

Support for community gardens:Our Community Garden Grants funded 89 new projects with a total of £232,000 in 2024. The funding supports community allotments and gardens, rehabilitation and regeneration projects, as well as gardens designed to support mental health and wellbeing, and training and development for young people.

With applications launched for 2025 grants in October 2024, and a hugely generous donation of £1.5 million from the Julia Rausing Trust to continue this programme over the next five years, we’re looking forward to supporting a fabulous new tranche of community gardens in the year ahead.

Read the full Impact Report on the National Garden Scheme Website https://ngs.org.uk

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