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On a rainy day in April 1930 Vita Sackville-West came to view the 'castle' with her son and immediately fell in love with Sissinghurst, buying it with 400 acres of the surrounding farmland.
In the first two years of ownership Vita and her Husband Harold Nicolson, she a plantsman and him a designer, made a complete plan of the garden that has never basically changed. Now after more than 70 years their vision of a truly English garden is realised, and enjoyed by thousands of visitors every year. The garden has been carefully conserved and renewed by the National Trust since taking over the property in 1967.
The highlights of Sissinghurst are the Rose Garden which is the best known, but is at its peak for little more than the month of June. The White Garden which due to its careful orchestration is lovely throughout the season. The Lime Walk which is a spring garden, but designed by Harold Nicolson on classical Italian lines. My own favorite is the Cottage Garden, which was conceived as an enhancement of cottage gardens everywhere in England, but maintains a fairly narrow colour band of yellows, reds and oranges. These together with the other gardens are set off to perfection by the tall tower of pale pink brick that captivated Vita when she first saw Sissinghurst. She wrote some 20 books in the Tower room and it remained her sanctum until her death in 1962 aged 70.
Sissinghurst Castle Garden can be found one mile east of Sissinghurst village on the A262 near Cranbrook Kent.
| *Link to official site for viewing Visitor Information* |
| Sissinghurst in July 2006 | ||
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