Sunday 22 September 2013

Sussex Prairies Garden, near Brighton and Hove, East Sussex

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Waves of beautiful perennial plants



Just as I thought the weather had changed for the worse we were blessed with a beautifully sunny day; I saw my opportunity and took my faithful companion (Charlie the dog) to a gem of a garden just 15 minutes outside of Brighton.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Dog sculpture in a garden setting

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Sculpture in the garden works with these beautiful flowers

I had seen an advert for this garden in a local magazine but was not prepared for the amazing sight that confronted me after winding down the entrance path: A Sussex field had been transformed into a sea of colour with undulating mounds of vivid yellows and reds offset against plumes of grasses and pastel flowers. I have rarely seen such a good example of prairie planting and late summer or autumn is the perfect time to see this garden at its best.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Structure and hedging work with the flowing plants

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Grasses and perennials create a sea of colour in the landscape

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. The pond is surrounded by colourful flowers and pond plants

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. The colour in this garden creates a stunning landscape.

The clever thing about this garden is that it is not just soft, naturalistic planting but it is cleverly contrasted with some strong layout in the form of hedging and a central axis through the middle of the space. The hedges offer a backbone to the garden but rather than unrepentantly cutting through the space they are cut into undulating shapes, mirroring the planting on either side.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Straight lines through the landscape give structure in the mass of planting

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Great use of hedging.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Garden Layout

Colour is used to great effect in the planting schemes here. Blocks of primary colours produce dramatic effects whilst some tonal borders are an array of delightful blues and purples.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Beautiful Echinacea plants in a block

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Yellow Rudbeckia in block planting

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Planting combinations

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Purple planting

The other feature in this garden that must be mentioned is the sculpture, which emerges from the drifts of plants. I often see sculpture in public gardens and it seems to have no relation with its surroundings but here it works completely. Seas of flowers and grasses look fabulous but they need that something extra to lift them and add interest and this is exactly what the sculpture does, it helps to focus the eye in a landscape of curves and mounds.

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Sculpture in the garden

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Sculpture in the landscape

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Grasses in the garden

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Bird boxes and feeders

Sussex Prairies Garden. Amazing flowers and good example of garden design. Sculpture in the garden

Verdict
Wow…I was completely stunned by this garden; it is a plantsman’s dream and full of inspiration for planting combinations. It doesn’t have the large rambling grounds of other public gardens but it makes up for it in quality.

Worst bits
If you are looking for formal planting or a whole day out this is not for you. It only has one style of planting.

Best bits
On a sunny day in late summer or autumn I can’t think of any other place where the planting would be more stunning and colourful.