Ten things to love about the Garden at Sissinghurst Castle

I gather that people like lists. And it’s true we have a perpetual ‘garden list’ at home. So I thought you might appreciate a list of the things we enjoyed at Sissinghurst when we visited recently. Sissinghurst is a famous English garden made by Vita Sackville West and Harold Nicolson in the 1930s. They had exciting love lives – or at least, Vita did, which adds to the romance, of course, of a romantic garden. 

My thanks to Charles for many of his pictures, taken under very difficult conditions. (Too much sun!)

1. The Cast

Troy Scott Smith and Charles Hawes

Well, we enjoyed talking to the head gardener, Troy. Full disclosure, yes, we know him and no, it hasn’t made me say nice things because of it. Though I confess I am relieved that I’m not going to have problems appreciating Sissinghurst, unlike Great Dixter. 

2. Delos

We went through to Delos. Perhaps we were lucky that we did this visit in heat, which was very fitting. Vita Sackville West and her husband Harold Nicholson did a thing which is not uncommon in the UK – they attempted to reproduce the joy of their holiday. They chose to make half an acre of a Greek Island  on north-facing, winter-wet, heavy clay. Not surprisingly it didn’t work.  However, designer Dan Pearson, Troy and the National Trust team have had another go, with considerable research, drainage and grit.

We loved it – and apparently it is actually still a pleasure in winter. It is also unusual currently in showing plants (appropriately) as individuals as opposed to being massed together. A interesting topic one day, perhaps.

3. The White Garden

From there to the famous White Garden. I need a wow in a garden and walking into this garden gives it. 

This garden is reputed to have caused an outbreak of single colour gardens throughout the world. Though, of course, no garden is truly single coloured and wisely, other colours sneak in here. Though I did begin to feel verbascums were following me around.

4 The Cottage Garden

And yep, here they are again. They add height. In my experience they also add rapacious caterpillars. Not so much in South East England maybe. 

But the Cottage Garden itself adds another welcome whop of drama and colour. 

I cannot trail you all round this large garden. Some people enjoy such digital tours, but I don’t much enjoy making or reading them. So I will continue by picking out the treats – apart from the pots/containers, which I will come to later in a separate post.

5. The Moat.

The sight of clean water with ducks, moorhens and associated chicks was a delight on a hot day.

6. As was the Nuttery 

Which existed when Vita and Harold first visited the garden and tipped them into a purchase which seemed reckless at the time. 

Cool and shady with ferns:

Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern) I think.

and as you emerge into the Lime Walk –

Ferns and a pot – such a good sight. Must be Matteuccia struthiopteris?

7. Bacchante Statue

A Bacchante is a pleasure seeking female follower of Bacchus. You know – the god of wine, vegetation, fertility, festivity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, theatre and that evening in the garden…..

I know I am not generally appreciative of statues of women in gardens but I loved this one. It is not, apparently original.  I have found no reference to what was there originally, but this is by Simon Smith. It seems full of life and grace.

Not quite naked…

8. People sitting

There’s a relaxed feel to the garden and it’s good to see people enjoying it. 

This sight stopped every passerby and it was impossible to take a really good photograph because people also rushed in to sit on the seat. We compensated by sending a long time sitting there too. The clematis – Perle D’Azur, is not original but another great addition. This is facing the Rose Garden – we missed the best of that.

This seat is no longer for sitting on. The price of opening to the public?

And some people have to work:

Troy Scott Smith, head gardener, gardening

9. Buildings

The Tower is a great backdrop to so many views.

It is so enviable to have beautiful buildings around the place:

10. Climbing the Tower

You can climb the Tower, passing Vita’s Writing Room on the way.

I think sometimes, some people, are allowed in….

And from the top you can see the garden from a different perspective:

Yes, Sissinghurst has the obligatory meadow – or rather, in this case, an orchard. Cut with a scythe…

Love the bloke with his arms akimbo. What’s he thinking?

Every garden should have a tower….

and hedges.

Conclusion.

It is an enormous challenge to maintain a great garden after the creator is dead. Some people maintain it’s not possible. I would suggest that it requires someone with their own vision of the garden, able to take imaginative leaps and not stay too rigidly to an idea of the past. Without ruining the place. Sissinghurst has had it’s ups and downs, but I was impressed enough by something Troy said early on to quote him on the Home Page of thinkingardens: 

“When I say to people my primary focus at Sissinghurst is romance and beauty, they are shocked and seem unbelieving. Folk generally consider gardens to be about plants and horticulture.” 

The task of cherishing this garden is made harder by the fact that Vita enjoyed having a seasonal or flowering climax in different areas, rather than having the whole garden attempt to be exciting all year round. That is clearly not acceptable these days to garden visitors,  so historical inaccuracy is inevitable.

We loved our visit. There was variety, contrasts, surprises, great plants and considered views. And a historic context which gives you ridiculous envy for two people who are no longer even alive – but imagine finding this place, seeing its possibilities and realising them. To great acclaim and the subsequent company of other great gardeners. 

It’s impossible here (by me) to do justice to the garden, which has been extensively written about, as you would discover if you Google it. And if you’re interested, you must get Tim Richardson’s book, “Sissinghurst, The Dream Garden“. The garden inspired him to poetry and there his poem is, at the end of the book. I can’t top that.