Highdown Gardens
Encyclopedia
Highdown Gardens is a garden
on the western edge of the town of Worthing
, close to the village of Ferring
and the National Trust
archaeological site Highdown Hill
in West Sussex
, England
. Overlooking the sea from the South Downs
the gardens contain a collection of rare plants and trees, collectively deemed a National Collection. The garden is owned and maintained by Worthing Borough Council with admission being free.
Created from a chalk
quarry where there was little soil and very unfavourable conditions for plant growth the Chalk Garden at Highdown is the achievement of Sir Frederick Stern (1884-1967) and his wife, who purchased the 8.52 acres (3.4 ha) in 1909 and worked for 50 years to prove that plants would grow on chalk.
The garden was created during a period when many expeditions were going out to China
and the Himalayas
collecting rare and beautiful plants. Many of the original plants from the early collections can still be seen in the garden today, particularly plants collected by Reginald Farrer
and Ernest Henry Wilson
.
On the death of Sir Frederick in 1967, aged 83, Lady Stern carried out his wishes and left the garden to Worthing Borough Council.
The garden is at its best in spring and early summer when there is a colourful succession of spring bulbs, Snowdrop
s, Crocus
, Anemone
s and Daffodils, followed by Paeonies
and Bearded Iris.
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
on the western edge of the town of Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, close to the village of Ferring
Ferring
Ferring is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is part of the built-up area of Worthing and is located on the A259 road west of the town. The parish has a land area of 430.6 hectares...
and the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
archaeological site Highdown Hill
Highdown Hill
Highdown Hill is a prominent hill in the South Downs, as its name suggests, reaching a height of . The summit of the hill and its western slopes lie in the parish of Ferring in the Arun district, while its eastern slopes lie in the borough of Worthing. It is a popular spot for picnickers,...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Overlooking the sea from the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
the gardens contain a collection of rare plants and trees, collectively deemed a National Collection. The garden is owned and maintained by Worthing Borough Council with admission being free.
Created from a chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
quarry where there was little soil and very unfavourable conditions for plant growth the Chalk Garden at Highdown is the achievement of Sir Frederick Stern (1884-1967) and his wife, who purchased the 8.52 acres (3.4 ha) in 1909 and worked for 50 years to prove that plants would grow on chalk.
The garden was created during a period when many expeditions were going out to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
collecting rare and beautiful plants. Many of the original plants from the early collections can still be seen in the garden today, particularly plants collected by Reginald Farrer
Reginald Farrer
Reginald John Farrer , was a traveller and plant collector. He published a number of books, although is best known for My Rock Garden...
and Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
.
On the death of Sir Frederick in 1967, aged 83, Lady Stern carried out his wishes and left the garden to Worthing Borough Council.
The garden is at its best in spring and early summer when there is a colourful succession of spring bulbs, Snowdrop
Snowdrop
Galanthus is a small genus of about 20 species of bulbous herbaceous plants in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae...
s, Crocus
Crocus
Crocus is a genus in the iris family comprising about 80 species of perennials growing from corms. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring...
, Anemone
Anemone
Anemone , is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae in the north and south temperate zones...
s and Daffodils, followed by Paeonies
Peony
Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...
and Bearded Iris.