Directory

Wakehurst Place Gardens

Address

Ardingly, Nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6TN

Telephone

01444 894066

E-mail

Website

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-wakehurstplace

Visited

239

Located at Ardingly in the heart of Mid Sussex, Wakehurst includes walled and water gardens, woodland and wetland conservation areas. Belonging to the National Trust it is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The garden was largely created by Gerald W.E. Loder (Lord Wakehurst) who purchased the estate in 1903 and spent 33 years developing the gardens, which today cover some 500 acres. He was succeeded by Sir Henry Price , and the Royal Botanic Gardens took over in 1965. Wakehurst is home to the National Collections of betulas, hypericums, nothofagus and skimmias. The Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, which houses an international seed bank known as the Millennium Seed Bank Project, opened in 2000. The aim of the Millennium Seed Bank is to conserve seeds from 10% of the world's flora by 2009, in the hope that this will save species from extinction in the wild. Wakehurst Place is home to the largest growing Christmas tree in England. The tree stands at 35 m tall and is lit with around 1,800 (energy saving) lights from Advent until Twelfth Night. With other many events and things to do all year round, the Gardens is a perfect local day out.