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CELEBRATED AS THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND, KENT COMBINES FERTILE SOIL WITH A DRY CLIMATE AND RICH HERITAGE, CREATING THE PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR SOME OF THE FINEST GARDENS IN ENGLAND. WHERE HORTICULTURAL EXCELLENCE AND HISTORICAL GRANDEUR GO HAND-IN-HAND, THIS BUCOLIC COUNTY IS AN IDEAL PLACE FOR GARDEN-LOVERS TO EXPLORE.
© National Trust Images / Chris Davies
Widely recognised for its celebrated horticulture, the vast number of awardwinning gardens in Kent showcase cultivated beds, carefully designed walled gardens and unique wild landscapes, inviting locals and tourists to immerse themselves in their beauty.
If you’ re considering exploring one of the county’ s celebrated gardens during the month of July, you’ re here at the right time; with traditional English borders in full bloom and a number of unique garden designs open to the public, this month provides the perfect opportunity to discover some of Kent’ s most spectacular gardens.
POETIC TRAILS AT SISSINGHURST
Recognised as one of Kent’ s most celebrated gardens in Kent, Sissinghurst Castle Gardens( nationaltrust. org. uk) welcomes thousands of visitors each year to explore its world-famous grounds. The historical grounds and rustic Elizabethan house were once home to gardener and English poet Vita Sackville-West and diplomat Harold Nicolson, with Vita’ s green fingers transforming the castle garden into the epitome of the English garden, with a romantic dreamscape feel.
Following the designed trails, explore some of the 10 garden rooms and diverse borders of perennials and vibrant annuals as they come into bloom over the summer months. Boasting a different theme in each walled garden, you’ ll find rustic yellow borders blending flourishing heleniums with burnt orange sunflowers alongside the everromantic Rosa Mulliganii rambling rose in the central crossing of the iconic White Garden.
Making your way through the garden rooms, you will find the Grecian-inspired landscaped garden of Reimagining Delos, which was only recently finished in April 2026. A unique Mediterranean garden inspired by Vita and Harold’ s trip to the Cyclades during 1935, the garden emulates the senses of Greece, featuring over 6,000 native plants and unique species from the Mediterranean basin, making visitors feel as if they’ ve stepped onto a remote Greek island.
Among these cultivated borders, Sissinghurst Castle Gardens have been working to look after a variety of habitats, including preserving the established wildflower meadows and biodiverse lakes across the grounds and surrounding estate, bringing visitors closer to Kent’ s natural landscape.
SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDENS www. insidekent. co. uk • 37