Late Summer Garden Showcase 2024: Discovering Kent, Sussex & Surrey’s Enchanting Gardens

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Late Summer Garden Showcase: Discovering Kent, Sussex & Surrey’s Enchanting Gardens

• Uncover the Magic of Kent, Sussex & Surrey’s Gardens: A Late Summer Garden Tour Experience
• Join our small group tour and immerse yourself in the beauty of 13 unique historic and contemporary gardens in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex over an 8-day journey.
• Stay at our chosen 4-star hotels: Crown Plaza London Heathrow and Royal Spa Hotel. Travel in comfort with our private air-conditioned coach.
• Our experienced tour guide, equipped with botanical knowledge, will accompany you throughout the journey. Enjoy a group dinner on your arrival and on the final evening of the tour.
• Entrance fees for all gardens and venues are included in the package. We also provide a 24-hour emergency service for your peace of mind.

Tour Description

Our garden tour, commencing on 4th September 2024 in London, showcases the best of summertime flowers in some of the most famous gardens in the UK. On the first evening, you’ll get to know your tour leader and fellow garden enthusiasts over a welcome dinner.

Over the next 8 days, we’ll explore 13 extraordinary gardens in the English counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Highlights include the Sissinghurst Castle garden, crafted by Vita Sackville-West, Great Dixter with gardens designed by Lutyens, and RHS Wisley, Europe’s most significant demonstration garden.

This tour promises to leave you with unforgettable memories of these picturesque regions of the UK.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 – 4 September 2024 – Check-in Crown Plaza London Heathrow – Welcome Dinner Included

• After your flight, check into the Crown Plaza London Heathrow Airport hotel. In the evening there will be an opportunity to meet your tour guide and other participants of the tour over a Welcome dinner.

Accommodation: Crown Plaza London Heathrow

Day 2 – 5 September 2024 – Gardens Visited: Godington, Great Comp  – Breakfast, Morning Coffee, Lunch, Tea Included

• After breakfast we leave for Godinton Gardens, a beautiful five-acre garden surrounded by an ancient park dotted with stately oaks and chestnut trees. The 14th-century house creates a peaceful and intimate atmosphere, perfect for exploring the garden’s “garden rooms.” As we stroll through the terraced lawns, framed by boxwood hedges, we admire the formal borders filled with perennial plants and ornamental trees. The tranquil lily pond and well-tended vegetable garden are also delightful sights to behold. The highlight of our visit is the stunning walled Italian garden and the classic rose garden, both of which transport us to a paradise of fragrant herbs, beautiful architectural elements, and abundant blooms. From Godington, we will go to have lunch at a local Pub before we travel to Great Comp.
• Great Comp Gardens are a hidden gem located in the heart of the Kent.  The gardens are set in 7 acres around a charming 17th-century manor house.  Great Comp Gardens takes pride in their extensive selection of salvias, featuring both common varieties and rare species. You’ll encounter salvias in various shades of purple, pink, red, and blue, adding bursts of color to the borders, beds, and pathways. Their use in combination with Penstemons, ornamental grasses, Sedum, Red Hot Pokers and Dahlias is particularly interesting. We’ll have afternoon tea here.
• At the end of our first day, we make our way to Royal Spa Hotel a stylish and sophisticated hotel situated in 14 acres of picturesque grounds close to Royal Tunbridge Wells. With an indoor swimming pool and gyms, award-winning restaurant and contemporary Zagatos Bar, it offers guests easy access to historic Tunbridge Wells and the Kent countryside. Dinner is on your own.

Accommodation: Royal Spa Hotel

Day 3 – 6 September 2024 – Gardens Visited: Sissinghurst, Great Dixter – Breakfast, Morning Coffee & Lunch included

• After breakfast, we travel to Sissinghurst, the first of two gardens that we will visit today. In 1930 Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson created Sissinghurst Castle garden around a moated Elizabethan mansion.  Their garden has become extremely influential, helped partly by Sackville-West’s writing in which she documents the gardens development.  The garden is designed around a series of axial walks each terminating with a statue or some other garden element.  Enclosed garden compartments open out from each walkway and many have a seasonal theme.  During our Spring visit we’ll experience the spectacular Lime Walk: drifts of bulbs provide a stunning tapestry of colors all as per Nicolson’s original meticulous planning.   Other parts of the garden have specific color schemes.  For example, you’ll find the White garden next to the Priest’s House and the Cottage Garden which is planted mainly in orange and yellow.  Sissinghurst Castle Garden was given to the UK National Trust on the understanding that, as per Nicolson’s wishes, it should be kept up to date with new plants.  Although the original design (thankfully) remains unaltered new plants are introduced very much in line with principles set out by Gertrude Jekyll.
• Great Dixter, is one of two great historic gardens in East Sussex. Built in 1450, the large timber framed house was bought by Christopher Lloyd’s father in 1910 was restored by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.  The gardens, once a farmyard, were designed by Lutyens.  Part of the reason why Great Dixter has become so famous and influential is because of the planting style introduced there by Christopher Lloyd and taught by him over many years at the local horticultural college. His planting style is characterized by the way in which he manages to combine plants in harmonious groupings and where plants of different heights, colors and leaf texture weave together into a unified whole. This style of gardening is often referred to as tapestry gardening and has been copied throughout the world.
• Experimentation has always been central to Lloyd’s gardening approach and nowhere more can this be seen in his 65m long/4.5-meter-wide Long Border, which as you will see is a spectacular mixture of shrubs, climbers, perennials and annuals.   After Lloyd’s death the garden has been looked after by Fergus Garrett and is better than ever thanks to his heroic efforts. Dinner is on your own.

Accommodation: Royal Spa Hotel

Day 4 – 7 September 2024 – Gardens Visited: RHS Wisley Gardens, Loseley Park Gardens. Breakfast, Morning Coffee,  Lunch & Cream Tea included.

• After breakfast we’ll drive by coach to visit RHS Wisely gardens, one of two gardens that we’ll visit today.  Gifted to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) by Sir Thomas Hanbury in 1904 (creator of the famous La Mortola garden in Ischia, Italy), Wisley Gardens, situated on 200 acres (81 ha) is an important center of learning and research and boasts the most important demonstration garden in Europe.
• As RHS’s flagship garden there is something special to see in this garden at every time of the year even during the darkest of winter days.  There are glasshouses with 4 temperate zones housing cacti, succulents, orchids, epiphytes as well as many other plants not native to the UK, as well as areas devoted to specific plants such as the pinetum – an area of stately conifers many of which are record breakers in terms of their height and which are interesting to visit in any season.  We’ll have coffee and lunch here before leaving for Loseley Park Gardens.
• Loseley Park Gardens is a stunning estate located in the heart of the Surrey countryside in England. The estate is home to a historic 16th-century manor house and a range of beautiful gardens, including a rose garden, a walled garden, a herb garden, and woodland walk. One of the standout features of Loseley Park Gardens is the Elizabethan knot garden, a beautiful and intricate design that reflects the history and beauty of the estate. The garden is laid out in the shape of a knot and is filled with colourful flowers and plants, making it a feast for the eyes.  We’ll have cream tea here.  Dinner is on your own.

Accommodation: Royal Spa Hotel

Day 5 – 8 September 2024 – Belmont, Doddington,  Goodnestone Park – Breakfast, Morning Coffee, Lunch & Tea Included

• Belmont Gardens offers a delightful fusion of formal design and naturalistic beauty. As you explore, you’ll uncover a number of enchanting spaces: the Kitchen Garden featuring neatly arranged rows of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, while the Walled Garden showcases meticulously curated borders bursting with a diverse array of flowers and plants. Additionally, the Victorian Greenhouse is a haven for plant enthusiasts, housing a captivating collection of exotic plants and delicate blooms.
• On our way to Goodnestone Park, we’ll visit Doddington and have lunch.  Doddington is a quaint and picturesque village, known for its well-preserved cottages and houses, showcasing the beauty of traditional English rural architecture.
• After lunch, we travel to the beautiful Goodnestone Park, a 17th-century estate nestled in the heart of Kent. This quintessential English garden boasts 14 acres of meticulously landscaped grounds, featuring a classic floral garden in front of the house. As we venture further, we find a gravel garden, a woodland garden and an arboretum with many unique trees, including a large collection of Cornus. The highlight of the park is its walled garden, divided into compartments with different color combinations, where old roses bloom profusely and walls are covered with a variety of climbing plants. We take a leisurely stroll through the herbaceous borders, the charming rose garden, and the serene water features. We learn about the estate’s connection to Jane Austen, who was a frequent visitor, and the inspiration she drew from these surroundings.  We’ll have tea here.  Afterwards we return to our hotel where you can spend the evening at leisure.  Dinner is on your own.

Accommodation: Royal Spa Hotel

Day 6 – 9 September 2024 –  Gardens Visited: Sheffield Park, Clinton Lodge, Pashley Manor – Breakfast, Morning Coffee, Lunch, Tea

• In 1775 ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped 120 acres of gardens and woodland for Lord Sheffield, the owner of Sheffield Park.  Later sold and bought by Arthur G Soames and enlarged to 265 acres, much of what remains today was made between 1909 and 1934 by him.  Sheffield Park is a fine example of a Landscape Movement garden.  Noted for their scale, Sheffield Park has 5 lakes each linked by cascades and boasts one of the finest collections of trees in the British Isles.  We’ll have coffee and lunch here.
• Our next destination is Clinton Lodge Gardens, a stunning and peaceful garden created in the 19th century. The garden is a diverse landscape that has been maintained and enhanced over the years. We will have the chance to explore the rockery, pond, herb garden, and rose garden, which are home to rare and exotic plants, making it a paradise for plant lovers. One of the standout features of Clinton Lodge Gardens is its breathtaking views of the Margate coastline, which visitors can admire while strolling through the winding paths.   We will have tea here.

• Next we visit the magnificent Grade I-listed Tudor house, Pashley Manor. We will be amazed by the harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary garden design. One of the highlights is the romantic Rose Walk, adorned with fragrant roses and wrought-iron arches, where we can soak in the charming atmosphere. Other garden features we will enjoy exploring include the tranquil pond, striking herbaceous borders, and serene water features. The Kitchen Garden, teeming with fresh produce and herbs is not to be missed. Pashley Manor’s gardens are a perfect example of how traditional and contemporary design elements can be seamlessly blended to create an unforgettable experience. We will have lunch here.

Accommodation: Royal Spa Hotel

Day 7 – 10 September 2024 –  Check-Out – Gardens Visited : Kew Gardens & London Olympic Park – Breakfast, Coffee & Lunch, Farewell Dinner included

• After breakfast and check-out, we visit the world-famous Kew Gardens, to explore the iconic Temperate House, known as the largest remaining Victorian glasshouse in the world. This extraordinary structure is home to a remarkable collection of rare and threatened temperate zone plants.  We’ll have time for lunch here before travelling to London’s Olympic Park.
• At London’s Olympic Park we will find meticulously manicured lawns, vibrant flower beds, and water features, as well as diverse and captivating planting schemes. However, we’re really here to see the park’s naturalistic-style borders which are quite exceptional.
• From here, we head back to London and the Crown Plaza London Heathrow. Join the rest of the group for a farewell dinner.

Accommodation: Crown Plaza London Heathrow

Day 8 – 11 September 2024 – Check-Out

• After check-out, travel the short distance to London Heathrow Airport for your onward flight or perhaps you’ll stay in the UK for a little longer. Either way you will be taking with you memories of the stunning gardens and the friendships that you have made during our unforgettable journey.