Discover more at Nymans
Find out when Nymans is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Visiting Nymans garden
Discover ruins, statues and year-round beauty and interest in the garden at Nymans. Created by plantsman and designer Ludwig Messel in the late nineteenth century, it’s a garden lover’s delight with significant international and heritage plant collections. More open and flowing than a ‘garden of rooms’, the June border, rose garden, South African meadow and famous summer borders represent Nymans’ distinctive blend of formality and informality to perfection.
Winter in the garden
Whether it’s a misty, grey day or a bright blue sky with crisp frost on the ground, these are the highlights of a visit to the garden in winter.
Winter walk
Packed with plants chosen specially for their winter interest, the winter walk at the south end of the garden is filled with the heady scent of witch hazels, Daphnes and winter box. Here you can find coloured stems, peeling bark, variegated foliage and flowering bulbs. Look out for subtly colourful flowers such as hellebores and pulmonaria.
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International collection
Nymans is a mix of formal and informal areas packed full of exotic species from around the world. At 13 hectares, the garden holds one of the most comprehensive documented collections of Chilean and Argentinian species cultivated in the British Isles.
These plant introductions still surviving at Nymans today may represent genetic material that has been lost from wild populations. In the Wall Garden you’ll find plants from China and Chile, and across the road in the Wild Garden discover the Tasmanian collection.
Views and yews
At 500 ft above sea level, Nymans offers wonderful views. The lawn in front of the house is the best spot for views across the surrounding countryside, with ruins and topiary yew hedging on one side and the South Downs on the other.
Chanctonbury Ring can be seen perched on the Downs through the trees to the south west. The centrepiece is the 160-year-old Cedar of Lebanon.
Throughout the garden you'll find formal and creatively shaped topiary. Look out for yew globes around the fountain in the wall garden, topiary lions guarding the entrance, and birds on the terrace in front of the house.
Take a tour of Nymans’ garden
With informal and formal areas, exuberant planting, flower meadows and manicured lawns, the garden is constantly evolving and a joy in every season.
To help you explore it fully, we run daily guided garden tours at 11am and 2pm.
See the garden from the comfort of a buggy with one of our garden buggy tours at 11.15am, 1pm and 2.30pm. If you'd like to venture further afield and discover the estate's 250 acres of wildlife-rich woodland, join a woodland buggy tour, which run daily at 11.30am and 1.30pm. They last around 1 hour and are run by our knowledgeable volunteers.
Top garden
The deep herbaceous borders of the top garden are crammed with a range of flowers and shrubs. Fragrant and colourful, there’s something to offer in each season from snowdrops in winter to delicate poppies in summer. It’s home to a wonderful collection of trees, some dating back to 1905.
The Rose Garden
With over 600 rose bushes and 115 varieties, it’s no surprise that when in flower the scent of roses carries a long way throughout the garden, particularly on a warm summer’s day.
Filled with perfumed and repeat-flowering roses, underplanted with lavender, geranium and nepeta, the rose garden is subtly scented and has a strong visual impact. The beds are positioned to create symmetry and a feeling of order, contained within a tightly clipped circular yew hedge.
At the centre of the garden is a fountain sculpted by Vivian ap Rhys Pryce. Why not sit for a while on one of the benches, listening to the play of water and the birdsong from the trees?
The Wall Garden
From planting out in early May, until the first frosts of autumn, the display in the wall garden is a feast for all the senses.
The garden is well known for its vibrant, flamboyant mixture of flowers and has an outstanding display of bulbs in the springtime, as well as annuals, trees and shrubs throughout the summer filling every nook and cranny.
The Terrace in front of the house
With planting combining shape and texture using hardy exotics and tender annuals set against the dramatic backdrop of the ruined mansion, the architectural feel of this terrace is enhanced by tree ferns.
The South African meadow
Designed to give maximum colour, with playful textures, bold drifts and exotic planting, the South African meadow is a vibrant mix of grasses, herbaceous perennials, bulbs, daisies and annuals.
Plants have been intermingled to mimic their behaviour in the wild, dispersed in drifts to create fluidity and lead the eye around the landscape.
Exotic planting
The planting scheme is a celebration of South African flora, with many plants that are not commonly seen in the UK. Plants have been chosen that are likely to thrive within the conditions of the site with only moderate intervention.
The great British weather sometimes tests these exotic plants: the cold and damp of winter may be too much for some, but others surprise us with their resilience.
You can follow a grass path through the middle to fully experience the meadow and immerse yourself in the landscape.
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Explore Nymans’ woodlands and wider estate
Nymans’ ancient woodland is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), nature reserve and home to a variety of plants and wildlife. Here’s what to look out for.
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The history of Nymans house and garden
Under generations of the Messel family, Nymans in West Sussex has been through several transformations since the 1890s to become the house, ruin and garden you see today.
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Family-friendly things to do at Nymans
Join us for a Nutcracker Christmas at Nymans with an imaginative garden trail inspired by this classic tale and a house filled with dazzling festive ornaments, laid out for a sweety banquet in the Garden Hall. Meet a giant nutcracker soldier and the Sugar Plum Fairy on the 16, 17 & 18 Dec and see Matthew Bourne’s costumes from the ballet Nutcracker! on display in the Gallery. Join a family workshop for willow weaving and share photos of your day with us @NymansNT.
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Visiting Nymans with your dog
Whatever the weather you can enjoy winding paths and wide avenues with colourful views across the woodland or towards the South Downs. At this time of year, dogs are welcome in the wider estate, but only assistance dogs are allowed in the garden. When visiting the woods, please keep dogs on leads and stay on paths to protect nesting birds. Nymans is a one pawprint rated place.
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