Great Dixter
Great Dixter is one of the finest gardens in England and was the family home of the late Christopher Lloyd.
Walk around the 15th century manor house, and you will discover the garden. At Dixter, the plants come first – flowers overflow on to the paths, appear through the cracks in walls and floor and jostle for space under the hedges.
Here are some of the gardens waiting to be discovered:
The Orchard is studded with apples, pears, plums and hawthorns underplanted with crocus, daffodils, orchids and ferns.
The Sunk Garden is bordered on two sides by the Great Barn and White Barn and on the other two by a wall and a hedge. The central sunken pool is surrounded by paving with borders flanking the perimeter path.
A yew archway leads from the Long Border to The High Garden. Described by Christopher Lloyd: ‘The paths from a cross, with a central arena which used to be surrounded by anaemic pink hudranges. I have replaced these with bolder shrubs, quite a number of them, conifers. The borders are otherwise the usual Lloyd mix, but with some emphasis on early summer, oriental poopies and lupins, prominent.’
Other areas of the garden are The Horse Pond, The Cat Garden, The High Garden, The Orchard Garden, the Exotic Garden and the Long Border.
During the open season, the gardens are closed on Mondays except on Bank Holidays.
Historic Houses members visit for free.
INFORMATION
Address: Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6PH View map Phone: 01797 252878 Length of visit: 2-3 hoursFor information on opening times and to buy tickets: Click here