Lieven & Lydia @ Great Dixter
22 Sept 2026
Kent is called the Garden of England, and around Yalding that feels entirely justified. We have grand historic estates, intensely personal gardens, rare plant collections and one or two places that still feel like a proper discovery.
These are the gardens we have loved visiting:
1. Great Comp Garden, Platt - our closest plantsman's garden
Great Comp Garden is the garden near Seven Mile Lane that is easy to forget by name but very hard to forget once you have visited. Set around a 17th-century manor house near Platt, its seven acres include romantic ruins, woodland paths, sweeping lawns, an Italian Garden and borders packed with unusual plants.
The real speciality is salvia. Curator William Dyson is one of the UK's leading salvia experts and has grown more than 200 species and hybrids here. Great Comp is also home to the National Plant Collection of rosemary, officially known as Salvia rosmarinus. The collection contains more than 100 varieties.
Spring brings magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and hellebores, but late summer and early autumn are particularly good for the salvias, grasses and richly coloured borders. There is also an excellent specialist nursery and the Old Dairy Tearoom for lunch, cake or a cream tea.
This is our first choice when you want a beautiful garden without turning it into a full day's expedition.
A relaxed half-day visit, plus a great tearoom for lunch.
2. Great Dixter, Northiam - the bold and brilliant one
We love great dixter, they break rules & conventions and get away with it. Interesting house to visit to! Great Dixter was the home of gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd and remains one of the most influential gardens in Britain. This is not polite, restrained planting. The borders are exuberant, experimental and full of surprising combinations of colour, texture and form.
The famous Long Border is only one part of it. Paths lead through a sequence of gardens around the medieval house, from tightly clipped topiary to meadow planting and richly layered borders. Under head gardener Fergus Garrett, Dixter continues to evolve rather than being preserved as a static historic garden.
There is always something unexpected around the next corner and plenty of ideas to take home, even if our own borders are unlikely ever to behave quite as beautifully.
Anyone interested in plants or garden design could spend hours here, and the nursery is dangerously tempting on the way out. It is farther from Yalding than some of the other gardens, but we like it so much that it had to be near the top of our list.
Choose Great Dixter for serious garden inspiration, bold planting, meadows, the nursery and one of Britain's great horticultural pilgrimages.
3. Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst - the romantic one
Scotney Castle is one of those places that looks almost suspiciously picturesque. The ruined 14th-century castle sits on an island in its moat, surrounded by a gently sloping garden filled with reflections, old stone, mature trees and seasonal colour.
The garden is lovely in spring when the rhododendrons, azaleas and wisteria are flowering, and again in autumn when the trees around the old castle change colour. There is more to explore beyond the classic view, including the Victorian house, parkland, woodland walks, shop and tearoom.
Scotney works especially well for mixed groups because keen gardeners can linger around the borders while everyone else has the castle, house and estate walks to explore. Parking can fill up, particularly at weekends and during school holidays, so it is sensible to reserve a space in advance.
4. Sissinghurst Castle Garden - the Kent classic
Sissinghurst is the internationally famous one, created by writer Vita Sackville-West and diplomat Harold Nicolson. Nicolson provided much of the structure and geometry, while Sackville-West filled it with romantic, abundant planting.
The garden is divided into a series of distinct rooms, each with its own mood. The White Garden is the best known, but the Rose Garden, Cottage Garden, herb garden and views from the Elizabethan tower make this much more than a single famous photograph.
It deserves time. Rather than trying to rush every corner, we would wander slowly, climb the tower if it is open and leave room for lunch or cake. It is one of Kent's most popular gardens, so an early visit is usually the more peaceful option.
5. Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Sevenoaks - the family-friendly one
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens feels looser and more adventurous than a formal country-house garden. The Rogers family has lived here since 1840, and the hillside garden combines historic planting with woodland, winding paths and wide views across the Weald of Kent.
There are rhododendrons, azaleas, specimen trees, a walled garden and quieter corners for adults, but Riverhill is also very good with children. The woodland trails give them space to explore, and the famous yeti spotting adds just enough silliness to prevent the day becoming an extended lesson in horticulture.
The gardens run a lively programme of family activities, exhibitions and seasonal events, and dogs are welcome under the current visitor arrangements. The Malabar Coffee House makes it easy to turn the visit into a leisurely half day.
Happy Gardening from Lieven & Lydia (Picture taken at Grand Dixter).