Gardens in Kent
by Annie Bullen

The gardens featured here are all in or near the elegant town of Royal Tunbridge Wells. The Georgians flocked here to take the waters from the Chalybeate spring and, in its heyday as a spa town, Tunbridge Wells rivalled nearby Brighton as a place to see and be seen. Tunbridge Wells, surrounded by the unspoilt beauty of the Kent Weald, is a comfortable place to stay with good shops, restaurants and pubs.

Penshurst Place

The gardens here are of huge historic interest, created more than 600 years ago. The house (also open) was built by Tudor nobleman Sir Henry Sidney, who designed his garden alongside. Three generations of the De L’Isle family, the present owners, have undertaken restoration including the planting of many oak trees to re-create parkland.
The formal walled garden, covering 11 acres, is divided into a series of self-contained areas, bounded by clipped yew hedges. There are orchards, flower gardens and the much-acclaimed Italian Garden, with its oval pond, fountain and ancient ginkgo tree in front of the house.
In June you’ll see roses, peonies, nut trees and crab apples and herbaceous perennials coming into their full glory.

Contacts: Penshurst Place and Gardens, Tonbridge TN11 8DG. Telephone 01892 870307.

Scotney Castle

If you’re planning a proposal of marriage, this could be the place to pop the question. Scotney, the garden built around the ruins of a 14th-century moated castle, is one of the most romantic places in Britain. All that remains of the castle, built on the River Bewel, is the great south tower, its parapet and ruined gatehouse. This is the backdrop for a mid-19th-century garden deliberately created by William Gilpin to look untamed in the best romantic tradition. Rich plantings of roses, shrubs and clematis build up a colourful picture, while azaleas and rhododendrons blaze in early summer. Acers add to the splendid autumn show, with mature limes, tulip trees and beech giving a structure.

Contacts: Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 8JN. Telephone 01892 893820 (infoline) or 01892 893868. Website www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Groombridge Place

There is so much in this original garden that a return visit must be on the cards. From the formality of the drum-shaped yews lining the gravelled path leading to many different ‘rooms’ to the extraordinary ‘Enchanted Forest’, with its spooky sculptures and mysterious pools, there are surprises at all turns.
Admire the rich colours in the Oriental Garden, with its grass fountain, and enjoy the tiny Secret Garden built around trickling water. There’s a Knot Garden full of elaborate bedding with two silent figures, made from ivy-clad wicker, keeping watch. A White Rose Garden shows off more than 20 types of roses and thousands of other white plants, including lilies, lavender, peonies and primula. The Drunken Garden contains lurching topiary around a circular pool.

Groombridge Place belongs to the Waller family, whose 17th-century ancestor, the poet Edmund Waller, was best known for his work ‘Go Lovely Rose’.

Go lovely rose!
Tell her that wasted her time and me
When I resemble her to thee
How sweet and fair she seems to be

Contacts: Groombridge Place, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9QG. Telephone 01892 861444.

Great Comp

Another garden that takes some exploring, Great Comp was created 50 years ago out of rough woodland and pasture. Meandering grass paths lead you past borders full of rare and unusual plants.
Unusual ‘ruins’ appear on the paths, while there is more conventional statuary as well in these exciting seven acres. More formal areas include the Mediterranean-style Italian Garden, with exciting plant collections and, especially, salvias.

Contacts: Great Comp, Platt, Borough Green, Sevenoaks TN15 8QS. Telephone 01732 886154.

Emmetts Garden

Wonderful views across the Weald of Kent give a tremendous setting to this Victorian collection of trees and shrubs. Although Emmetts is often promoted as a spring garden, the unusual nature of many of the plants and the fine rose garden, rock garden and acer collection make it of year-round interest and especially lovely in the autumn.

Contacts: Emmetts Garden, Ide Hill, Sevenoaks TN14 6AY. Telephone 01732 868381. Website www.nationaltrust.org.uk