Sissinghurst Garden

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We remembered visiting Sissinghurst Garden, Kent in 2003. I suggested coming back there on 22 June for Mark's birthday treat.

We took the southern eastern train for Ramsgate from Charing Cross, and got off at Staplehurst. We waited for a little while to catch the 12:45 Sissinghurst link. There were several people who got on the same bus as us.

On arrival at the site, we sat on the lawn and had a picnic lunch. There were picnic tables in the Car Park, but I noted they were all occupied.

After the lunch, we showed our National Trust cards at the ticketing office and started looking round the formal gardens. Without hesitation, we firstly decided to walk around the White Garden. The visitors at the White Garden were impressed with an astonishing collection of white flowers, e.g rose, sweetpeas, irises, daisies, campanulars, anemones, and whitened leaves and trunk.


We then moved to the tower via the Lower Courtyard. There were many types of flowers and climbers thriving on the borders and big authentic teracotta pots. They matched with the brick walls and buildings. We decided to go up to the tower. There were three exhibition rooms which displayed sketches of different types of plants in Sissinghurst, illustrations shown how the Sissinghurst Castle Garden developed between the 15th century and the 1970s, and monochrome photos of National Trust Gardens, e.g. Claremont Gardens (Surrey), Nymans Gardens (Sussex), Bodnant Garden (Conwy), Chartwell (Kent), etc. The fine weather offered perfect panoramic views from the top of the tower on 22 June. We overlooked the formal gardens, i.e. Herb Garden, Rose Garden, White Garden, Cottage Garden, Orchard, Moat, Woodland with two lakes, and saw lush Kent countryside.

It was just a perfect time to stroll through the Rose Garden at the mid June. We saw a wide variety of roses, clematis, and scented flowers blooming on several borders. It was a good idea that tall plants and climbers had been planted on the centre or back of the borders, and short plants were dwelling on the edges, so that visitors were able to see many different types of flowers .

Next, we moved to the Cottage Garden. There was an excellent collection of warm coloured flowers, i.e. red, yellow, orange, e.g. Helenium hybrids, honeysuckles, poppies, scarlet sages, yellow lupins, etc growing on the borders and pots. Climbers were going up the brick cottage, which looked very authentic. We walked though the Lime Walk and Nuttery. Big stone monuments were positioned in an orderly manner, and they seemed to be used as a focal point, and it made a lot of people feel like walking to its destination. We reached the Herb Garden. There were both culinary and medicinal herbal plants growing. Those scented plants attracted bumble bees, and made therapeutic air for visitors.

We found that we were able to go through the gate between moat and Herb Garden. We walked though the tree avenue towards the lakes. Quite a few people were sitting by the lake. We saw the people bringing dogs to the woodland. The family, consisting of wife, husband, and son brought three dogs, and let them play in the lake. When the stick was thrown out to the lake, 2 ginger dogs and black dog jumped to the lake. Obviously, they were competing. The scene where those dogs were trying to grab the stick was truly amusing, entertaining, and photogenic, although it was difficult to shoot the best one. We continued walking in the woodland following the suggested route. There were loads of foxgloves and New Zealand fern plants were thriving in the woodland. The woodland trail led us to the meadow, and Biddenden Road.

The return bus had arrived at the bus stop when we came back to the main entrance, and we took the bus at 3.30. We wholeheartedly enjoyed the 2nd visit to Sissinghurst on 22 June 08.

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