West Dean Gardens
RHS Partner Garden
Free RHS Member days
Daily, 1 January–28 February and 1 October–30 December (24 and 25 excluded)
About the garden
West Dean Gardens invites visitors to explore its 92-acre, award-winning garden. Discover the restored Walled Kitchen Garden, laid out in a classic Victorian design, with over one mile of walls covered in trained espalier fruit trees and a fruit garden with 100 apple varieties, and see 13 splendid Victorian glasshouses designed by Foster & Pearson.
A major feature are the 35-acre ornamental grounds, where more than 500,000 spring bulbs have been naturalised. These include a 300ft Edwardian Pergola, built in 1912 and designed by Harold Peto, and the award-winning Sunken Garden.
The Spring Garden features flintwork bridges crossing the River Lavant, a rustic summerhouse with moss walls, seaweed decorations, a heather ceiling, a thatched roof, a laburnum and ivy tunnel. A stroll to St. Roche’s Arboretum reveals an extensive tree collection including Californian Redwoods and offers a circular two-and-a-half-mile walk with beautiful panoramic views of the South Downs.
Facilities
- Dogs welcome
- Parking
- Plant sales
- Refreshments
- Toilets
Key features
- Glasshouse (open to public)
- Arboretum
- Gravel garden
- Cottage planting
- Organic management
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.