South East RHS Partner Gardens: Hidden gems
Some of the South East RHS Partner Gardens could easily be described as hidden gems; perhaps a little quieter on the radar, yet every bit as impressive and rewarding to visit
Rich in history and full of character, they offer a wonderful sense of discovery without sacrificing beauty or interest.
If you’re planning your next day out and would like to try somewhere a little different, yet still wonderfully picturesque, these gardens provide plenty of inspiration. Each one has its own unique story to tell, showcasing the depth and variety found across our South East Partner Gardens.
Which one will you choose to visit first?
Bates Green, East Sussex
Bates Green Garden is a tranquil 1.5‑acre garden surrounding the farmhouse, originally a gamekeeper’s cottage built over 200 years ago. The estate also includes a 5.5‑acre A term generally applied to non-woody, flowering plants that are natural to a particular area and grow there without human assistance. More accurately, British wildflowers normally applies to UK natives including plants introduced into the wild before 1500.
The garden was designed and planted by the late Carolyn McCutchan. Growing up with a passion for gardening, her parents ran a market garden, and she spent much of her childhood helping on a local farm, Carolyn developed a deep connection to the land. She later married John McCutchan, whose grandfather purchased Bates Green Farm in 1925. After moving into the farmhouse in 1968 and completing a garden design course, Carolyn was inspired to transform the garden, which had remained largely unchanged since the 1920s. In 1972, she opened Beatons Wood to the public during bluebell season to raise money for charity. This event continues today as the Arlington Bluebell Walk, which has raised over £1,000,000 for more than 80 local charities.
Carolyn’s planting style creates a richly immersive sensory experience, combining bulbs, grasses, herbaceous perennials, and woody plants to provide colour, texture, and fragrance throughout the seasons. Today, the garden is lovingly maintained by Head Gardener Emma Reece, who was one of Carolyn’s students in 2001.
Denmans Garden, West Sussex
Denmans is a relaxed country garden tucked beneath the South Downs, where shelter, sunshine and free‑draining chalky soil allow an impressive mix of plants to thrive. Mediterranean and warm‑climate species grow happily alongside plants A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.
The four‑acre garden is laid out as a series of linked spaces that lead naturally from one to the next. Some areas open out to wide countryside views, while others feel more enclosed and almost secret, drawing the eye to a single standout feature. Rather than sticking to traditional English garden rules, Denmans mixes an informal, rural feel with bold shapes, clear lines and flowing curves. Meandering paths invite visitors to wander, constantly revealing new angles and details.
This welcoming, unpretentious style reflects the ideas of its creator, John Brookes MBE, one of the pioneers of modern garden design. Beginning his career in the late 1950s, Brookes believed gardens should be practical, lived‑in spaces, extensions of the home rather than showpieces. He developed these ideas at Denmans, using it as both his home and creative playground, refining his thinking over time and shaping principles later shared in his influential book Room Outside.
Doddington Place Gardens, Kent
Doddington Place has been cared for by the Oldfield family for over a century, and its gardens have developed gradually rather than following a single, fixed design. The Victorian house was completed around 1870, with a formal terrace added soon after, but it was in the Edwardian period that the gardens began to take on their current character.
The garden covers about ten acres and is arranged as a series of well‑connected spaces, each with its own feel. At the centre lies the sunken garden, enclosed by clipped hedging and filled with seasonal herbaceous planting. Broad lawns stretch out from the house, opening views across the surrounding Kent countryside.
A particular highlight is the restored Edwardian rock garden, with pools, stonework and winding paths planted for dry conditions. In contrast, the woodland garden feels cooler and more secluded, planted on rare acidic soil with rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias. Tree avenues, yew hedges and grassy paths guide visitors around the garden, which has recovered beautifully after storm damage in 1987 and now feels settled and full of life.
Farringford Estate, Isle of Wight
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) was one of the most celebrated poets of the Victorian era, known for the emotional depth and musical quality of his work. In the 1850s, he and his family settled at Farringford, where gardening became part of everyday life. Tennyson enjoyed working outdoors, tending lawns and planning flower and vegetable beds, and he fiercely protected the surrounding trees that gave the house its privacy.
Tennyson’s poetry and Emily Tennyson’s journals reveal their deep enjoyment of the natural world, from plants and birds to insects and animals. That love of nature is still reflected in the lively Walled Garden, where flowers grow freely among fruit trees and vegetables.
The garden slopes westwards to a reconstructed arbour, originally made by Tennyson so Emily could enjoy the afternoon sun and sweeping views. Victorian‑inspired planting includes poppies, delphiniums, poet’s laurel and tall tobacco plants, with produce grown alongside them in a working period‑style greenhouse. An Arts and Crafts sundial by Mary Seton Watts adds an artistic touch, while nearby woodland and parkland offer peaceful walks and views of High Down.
Furzey Gardens, Hampshire
Furzey Gardens is a peaceful and welcoming place, run and maintained by the local charity Minstead Trust. At its core, the garden supports people with learning disabilities, offering meaningful work, practical skills and greater confidence through hands‑on involvement in horticulture.
The garden is celebrated for its outstanding plant collections, many introduced to Britain by early 20th‑century plant hunters. Rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and cornus from regions such as China, Tibet and India continue to thrive. Opened to the public in the 1930s, Furzey is home to notable historic plants, including Rhododendron macabeanum and the internationally known winter‑flowering heather Erica x darleyensis ‘Furzey’. Rare varieties such as Narcissus and Primula ‘Bartley’ further add to its character.
First planted in 1922 as an informal woodland garden, Furzey has evolved through periods of decline and restoration. Since the 1980s, it has grown alongside training and therapeutic horticulture, shaped by dedicated gardeners, volunteers and people with learning disabilities. Today, it offers colour and interest in every season, from vibrant spring displays to rich autumn tones.
Goodnestone Park Gardens, Kent
Goodnestone Park Gardens covers around fifteen acres and features a wide variety of trees, shrubs and seasonal planting. Visitors are free to explore all areas of the garden, enjoying changing colours, scents and textures throughout the year, with many plants also available to buy from the on‑site nursery. Public footpaths run through the wider estate, including the popular Serpentine Walk, offering routes beyond the formal gardens.
At the heart of the estate stands Goodnestone Park, a Queen Anne house built in 1704 for Sir Brook Bridges. Altered and extended over time, the house has been linked to the FitzWalter family since the mid‑18th century and remains in their care. Its east front overlooks sweeping lawns, a central gravel path and formal terraces.
Beyond the formal setting, a peaceful woodland garden winds through oak and sweet chestnut trees, opening into grassy clearings. The walled garden, with its restored historic walls and long views towards a 12th‑century church, is a particular favourite with visitors.
Great Comp Garden, Kent
Set in a quiet corner of the Kent countryside, Great Comp Garden spans seven lovely acres filled with distinctive plants that shine in every season. It’s an inviting place to explore, with highlights including the Italian Garden, romantic ruins, woodland paths, The Old Dairy Tearooms and the renowned Dyson’s Salvias, making it ideal for a relaxed day out.
Spring brings a burst of colour, with magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons flowering above carpets of hellebores and bulbs. In summer, the garden comes alive with one of Europe’s most impressive salvia collections, while ornamental grasses add movement and structure that carry interest well into autumn.
Great Comp’s history stretches back to the 13th century, and its manor house dates from 1597, still retaining its original frontage. The garden seen today is largely the work of Eric and Joy Cameron, who arrived in 1957 and transformed former farmland into a plantsman’s garden. Opened to visitors in 1968, it has been protected by a charitable trust since the 1980s and continues to flourish today.
Houghton Lodge, Hampshire
Houghton Lodge is much more than a historic house; it’s a place where garden, landscape and history blend naturally. Built in the late 18th century, it is one of the best surviving examples of the Cottage Orné style, set high above the River Test in a wonderfully picturesque setting.
A standout feature is the walled kitchen garden, enclosed by tall chalk‑cob walls that still perform their original role. These walls store warmth, helping fruit ripen early, including the striking espaliered pear tree that runs along the wall and is nationally recognised for its size. Seasonal borders add colour from spring through to autumn.
The garden continues to develop, with the recent addition of the Oriental Garden inspired by Japanese design. Water features, bridges and carefully chosen trees introduce a calm, reflective atmosphere. Elsewhere, bulbs, roses, Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Beyond the formal gardens, paths lead through parkland, water meadows and the winding Serpentine Walk, offering lovely views, wildlife habitats and a relaxed connection to the surrounding countryside.
Lullingstone Castle & The World Garden, Kent
Set within 120 acres of Kent countryside, Lullingstone Castle is one of England’s oldest family estates, with a history stretching back to the Domesday Book. The house has welcomed famous visitors such as Henry VIII and Queen Anne and has been the home of the Hart Dyke family for more than 20 generations. Today, the estate is cared for by Tom Hart Dyke, who became widely known in 2000 following his kidnapping during a plant‑hunting expedition in Panama.
While held captive for nine months, Tom devised an ambitious idea for a garden laid out as a world map, with plants grouped by continent. This vision became reality in 2005 with the opening of the World Garden, which quickly gained national recognition and continues to grow. The garden features rare and unusual plants from across the globe, including a Wollemi pine (often called the “dinosaur tree”) and one of the world’s rarest eucalyptus species. Visitors can also discover some famously odd and extreme specimens, from pungent A group of plants that have thick, fleshy leaves or stems that are able to store water. This allows them to survive in arid habitats with low moisture.
Model Village Godshill, Isle of Wight
The Model Village at Godshill was saved from decline in the late 1960s when Robin Thwaites took it on and restored it with remarkable care and attention to detail. Set within the sheltered grounds of the Old Vicarage, the village offers a quiet, timeless escape. The miniature buildings are carefully arranged to represent both Godshill and the nearby seaside town of Shanklin, capturing everyday life as it would have looked in the 1930s.
The surrounding gardens play an important role in the experience. Hidden behind the Vicarage’s high stone walls is an unexpectedly rich landscape of mature trees, sculpted conifers and carefully chosen shrubs. Over several decades, a collection of more than 3,000 specimens has been built up, many shaped using the Japanese niwaki technique to create strong forms and a sense of scale. These trees and shrubs provide shelter, structure and a green backdrop that enhances the model buildings without overwhelming them. The result is a garden that delights plant lovers as much as it fascinates visitors drawn to the miniature village itself.
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Kent
Despite its name, there is actually no river at Riverhill; the name comes from the Saxon word rither, meaning hill. The estate has been home to the Rogers family since 1840, with several generations continuing to live there today. The oldest part of the house dates from 1710, built on the site of a Tudor farmstead, with later Georgian alterations giving it its present appearance.
Gardening has long played a central role at Riverhill. John Rogers, a founding member of the Royal Horticultural Society and a contemporary of Charles Darwin, was drawn to the sheltered hillside and lime‑free soil, ideal for rhododendrons and azaleas newly arriving from the East. Later generations continued to expand the gardens, but by the late 20th century a lack of funds and changing circumstances left many areas overgrown and inaccessible.
Opening the gardens to visitors in the 1970s made it possible to begin essential repairs, with further momentum arriving after the estate was featured on Channel 4 programme ‘Country House Rescue’ in 2009. The Walled Garden, once completely lost beneath vegetation, was restored with productive planting and seasonal borders. Historic terraces were rebuilt stone by stone, while the Rose Walk, orchard edges and steps were carefully repaired. The Rock Garden, untouched for decades, was cleared by hand, its pond brought back to life and replanted for shade. Gradual renewal of the Wood Garden has helped protect and re‑establish rare trees and shrubs. Today, Riverhill feels alive again — a place shaped by history but very much still evolving.
Tylney Hall Hotel and Gardens, Hampshire
The gardens at Tylney Hall are widely admired, thanks in large part to the influence of celebrated garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, whose planting schemes helped shape the landscape seen today. Spreading across more than 60 acres, the grounds are rich in trees, shrubs and carefully designed garden spaces, creating variety and interest throughout the year.
Formal areas such as the Italian and Dutch gardens lead the eye towards the lake, where reflections, planting and a graceful bridge create a particularly striking scene. From the water’s edge, views back across the parkland are framed by towering redwoods. Elsewhere, the Rose and Azalea Gardens offer colour and scent in early summer, with restoration work continuing to bring these areas back to their former glory.
Venturing further into the estate, woodland paths guide visitors to the Water Garden, a peaceful and slightly hidden corner where bamboo lines the water and wildlife thrives. Dragonflies skim the surface while fish ripple the lake, creating a calm, almost secret garden atmosphere. After periods of decline, careful restoration over recent decades has revived these gardens, respecting their historic layout while re‑establishing planting, structure and long‑term beauty.
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