Fairlight End

The June issue of Gardens Illustrated has a feature (written by me as it happens) about this impressive garden, so I was more than happy to take a friend and go along to support their NGS Open Day. Set on a steep hill, it is a garden that has achieved a perfect balance of cultivated and wild.  The house is set at the top of the hill overlooking the wooded undulations of the Sussex Weald. Helped by designer Ian Kitson, the owners have made a place of great atmosphere with the romantic borders and neatly trimmed topiary close to the house, gradually becoming increasingly informal as you descend the hill until you are in wildflower meadows that link perfectly to the surrounding countryside.  On reflection I think that this was my major reservation about the previous garden I visited – much of it did not relate sympathetically to its surroundings.