The National Garden Scheme: Architectural Plants, North Heath Open Garden

With record donations in 2024 the power of gardens and garden visits for good causes is evident. 2024 was another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme with the charity donating a record £3,501,227 from the 2024 garden opening season. The impact of these donations to our major nursing and health beneficiaries means that thousands of people who live with health conditions such as cancer or Parkinson’s, who have poor mental health, or who struggle financially as unpaid carers, have been supported by our funding of the nurses, health professionals and case workers who support them. Our funding has also provided support to those in the Gardens and Health sector along with Community Gardens and supported gardeners through traineeships.

Architectural Plants
Set within the South Downs of West Sussex, Architectural Plants is an inspirational nursery for all plant hunters and those looking to have their garden designed. A site of horticultural excellence spanning 32 acres, it is home to over 40,000 trees and plants and an ensemble of captivating garden spaces designed to stimulate your imagination. Head Gardener, Colin Jupp has developed these distinctive spaces, and this is a unique opportunity to enjoy his work and the wider collection curated by Owner, Guy Watts. Displayed across the nursery are elegant examples of European Villandry, curvaceous sculptural Japanese cloud pruned ‘Niwaki’ and other varieties of crisply-clipped topiary. Collections of multi-stems, lines of verdant evergreen screening trees and deciduous sculptural structures frame the drive, avenue and pathways. Luxuriant and textural choices of underplanting arranged with eye-catching pops of colour sit among meandering and smartly manicured blobberies. Innovative homegrown varieties, smaller shrubs and rarities fill two large shade houses and the ‘proper nursery’. There’s an Acer House with the largest collection of mature maples in the south of England for you to wander through. Colin’s Mediterranean themed garden of mature pines, Italian Cypress trees, hardy palms, olives, exotic spiky plants and succulents lead you to the lake. There’s a bankside folly for you to stop at and take in the view. The surrounding lakeside walk has been designed using thriving examples of European and Continental plants with a tropical grove to explore at the end of the route. Colin is supported by the nursery’s in-house apprentices who learn to plant and train these plants. It is also where seed and cuttings are taken to propagate from for their homegrown production. The Greenhouse polytunnels hold exciting exotic delights from across the world. Amid the unfurling tree ferns and tropical palm canopies lies a specialist ‘Niwaki’ Production Zone where you can discover the techniques involved in growing and training these trees. For those with a seriously horticultural enquiring mind, there’s a propagation laboratory and a series of homegrown production tunnels to investigate, too.

Architectural Plants Stane Street North Heath Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1DJ is open for the National Garden Scheme Sunday 27th July 10.00am – 5pm. Admission £12 children free. Tea, coffee and cake. Book in advance on the NGS website or pay on the day https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/47186/architectural-plants

To learn more about the National Garden Scheme, discover your perfect garden or find out how to open your own garden, visit https://ngs.org.uk
NB Occasionally Garden openings have to be cancelled. Always check on the NGS website beforehand.

Click on this link to look at the interactive
National Garden Scheme 2025 Sussex Booklet