Denmans Garden
Free RHS Member days
9.30am–4pm, Thursday, 2 January–23 December. Plus Saturday, 2 January–31 March and 1 October–23 December
About the garden
Denmans Garden is a tranquil, Grade II-listed garden located on the southern slope of the South Downs. Plantswoman Joyce Robinson transformed it from a post-war market garden to an ornamental garden. She started her gravel gardens at Denmans in 1970 and created two faux riverbeds on a slope that had previously been home to Guernsey calves. These riverbeds flow into a pond built by landscape designer John Brookes MBE, who lived and gardened at Denmans from 1980 to 2018.
Mr Brookes combined Mrs Robinson’s innovative planting style with his own bold design approach, which focuses on structure, texture, pattern and colour. The result is a fusion of horticultural diversity and extraordinary design.
Denmans features a Walled Garden, ponds and a conservatory. Sheltered by the Downs and bathed in southern sunlight, it is full of unusual plants, some semi-tropical and some collected abroad. The garden offers year-round interest and has been undergoing restoration since January 2018.
Facilities
- Dogs welcome
- Parking
- Plant sales
- Refreshments
- Toilets
Key features
- Glasshouse (open to public)
- Gravel garden
- Pond or lake
- Prairie/naturalistic planting
- Winter garden
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.