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.

Autumn highlights

Salvia beds along the Top Garden

Nymans Salvia collection  

Salvias are a great autumn feature of any garden and at Nymans our collection centres around 40 different cultivars.

Lime Avenue at Nymans in autumn

Autumn colour in Nymans' arboretum  

This time of year you’ll be wowed by the spectacular display that the trees provide in the form of autumnal colour in the arboretum.

" 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."
- Muriel Messel, 1918, writing in A Garden Flora

What to spot in the garden over the coming months

Taxodium distichum in the Pinetum

Chameleon Conifers at Nymans  

From Japanese red cedar to white cypresses, conifers come into their own once autumn truly begins. Gardener Jon Keen explains more.

In the Land of the Long Shadows

In the land of the long shadows 

Autumn is in full swing, the possibilities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is on the horizon. Gardener, Kirstin Kelly, explains what’s happening and why.

A view across the arboretum in autumn

The autumn garden 

Autumn is well on its way but there's still plenty to see from brightly coloured salvias to the glow of autumn colour in the trees.

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.

The team collecting in the field

Following in the footsteps of the Plant Hunters  

In January 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.