Autumn colour at Uppark

For those of us with a romantic disposition, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, the replacement of exhausted summer with tawny autumn, and the final onset of winter holds an enduring allure.

Perched high on the South Downs, Uppark is signposted from far afield but it's a difficult place to stumble upon. It's this relative isolation that lends the property many of its most enduring charms, while the unrivalled autumnal views from the south lawn (as far as the Isle of Wight on a clear day!) provide an endless source of fascination.

Notwithstanding the show our Sedums put on at the onset of autumn, it's our trees in particular which recompense for the loss of summer's long hot days. In spring and summer, the beech trees lining the approach drives create a cathedral-esque canopy through which myriad shades of green dapple the woodland floor below. Autumn, however, ushers in an equally beautiful dazzle of mottled russet, golden yellow and a fading echo of lost summer verdancy.

In the garden itself, the russet and gold leaves of our stand-out trees evolve towards the archetypal colours of autumn. In the Pleasure Grounds, our Silver Maple and Tulip trees add to the warm Uppark autumn palette, while in the Tea Garden the Japanese Angelica lends its autumn shades once flowering is over.

Arrive early to enjoy the reveal of Uppark on a crisp and frosty morning, follow our woodland walk to make the most of the changing colours and, as the garden team reach for the rakes to gather the spent leaf-litter, head in to the café for something warming.