The Garden at Nymans

Set high above the Sussex Weald the garden holds a stunning collection of magnolias, eucryphias, camellias and rhododenrons, together with one of the largest collections of South American plants in the UK. Planted in the 1890s by German émigré, Ludwig Messel, the spirit of the Messel family is reflected in the constantly evolving plant designs. With views of the rolling Wealden landscape in one direction and the South Downs in the other, the garden combines the formality of topiary and a rock garden with the informality of sweeping naturalistic planting and drifts of colourful plants.

South African border in late summer at Nymans

Nymans in autumn — Autumn colour in the garden at Nymans

Spring in the garden at Nymans

View across the lawn towards the house with rhododendrons lining the flower borders

The garden

Romantic ruins, intimate gardens, and internationally recognised plant collections against a backdrop of Wealden woodland - Nymans is a garden lover's paradise.

Flamboyant rhododendrons

With their bold, bright flowers, rhododendrons come in many different forms and sizes. These majestic specimens have a long history at Nymans and form part of the significant plant collection here.

Springtime

The wall garden is at it's best in spring with frothy blossom, waxy magnolias and bulbs bursting into bloom each day.

Magnificent magnolias

Nymans has a large collection of magnolias, blossoming in shades of creamy white, yellow and pastel pink. Beginning in early February, the flower buds burst through furry casings to bloom majestically against the deep blue skies of spring. Some of our magnolias are named after members of the Messel family, and Magnolia 'Cecil Nice' takes its name from a former Head Gardener. Nymans has a significant collection of rare and important plants, with our Chilean collection flowering during the spring and summer months.

What to spot in March

With pastel-coloured bulbs and swathes of daffodils and crocuses, these early flowers are a welcome sight in the first early days of spring.

Snowdrops in bloom in front of the ruined Great Hall

A Garden in the Ruins

The ruined Great Hall is being transformed into an intimate theatrical space in which the story of the Messel family and their passion for plants at Nymans can be told. The garden opens in late April and will continue to be developed with new plants and structural features over the coming years.

Walking your dog at Nymans

We welcome dogs in the garden from Monday 1 November to 31 January 2022, and between the hours of 1.30pm and 4pm. Dogs are welcome on leads throughout the year in the woods and outside the cafe if you wish to stop off and have refreshments after your walk. Dogs not permitted in the Wall Garden.

Plant conservation at Nymans

The Nursery

Nymans is a grade II listed garden because of it's significant plant collection. We have one of the most interesting and diverse collections of plants in The National Trust.

Nymans Eucryphia x nymansensis Nymans Silver

The South American Comber Collection

Harold Comber's plant hunting expeditions of the last century, to far flung places across the globe, form the basis of the significant Chilean collection you'll find at Nymans today.

" I think that the garden may fitly be described as the triumph of hope. It was always full of experiments, it gave endless pleasure, and if you walk through it, you will see the careful thought that was bestowed on each plant."

Garden news

Using harvested rainwater to water in the nursery

BBC Gardener's World at Nymans

Gardener's World presenter, Mark Lane, met the garden team to get the low down on how we garden sustainably, making Nymans one of the greenest places cared for by the National Trust.

Following in the footsteps of the Plant Hunters

In January 2018 representatives from horticultural and botanical institutions made a field trip to Tasmania, following in the footsteps of plant hunter Harold Comber and his trip to of the 1930s.