“So... what do you do all winter?” This is a question regularly asked by visitors whose gardens sit in tranquil dormancy until Easter. However, at the 30-acre National Trust estate, Nymans, it’s more a case of what don’t we do? This is a time to renovate, rediscover and refine. Visitors will see us continuing with the transformation of the Sunk Garden. This area of evergreen planting was disappearing under overgrown shrubs, but now we’re removing shaggy camellias, opening up beautiful views, and recreating an Italianate-style garden, a design inspired by the Sunk Garden’s pretty Loggia (summer-house). Stately yew columns are being planted, interspersed with hundreds of rose bushes. There’s lots to do in the garden at this time of year, but it’s best to minimise digging, to avoid disrupting the beneficial bacteria and fungi in the soil. Instead, cover soil with a thick layer of organic matter such as green-waste compost or rotted manure to protect it from the weather.

Winter is also a great time for pruning. Shrubs such as philadelphus, buddleja and rough-barked rhododendrons that have become overgrown can be cut down hard to stumps. In the summer, young “water-shoots” will spring from the base; keep half of these and remove the rest.

Seed sowing can start from late January. Choose a peat-free seed compost, or sieve the lumpier elements out of a multi-purpose mix to ensure the smoothest ride for your seedlings. A light covering of vermiculite maintains perfect moisture levels.

At Nymans we revel in our status as a winter garden. We’re open seven days a week so there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy our rich collection of winter colour. By Valentine’s Day, up to 150 different plants should be flowering, including fragrant daphnes and witch hazels, elegant hellebores and delicate snowdrops, while bronze grasses, glowing dogwoods and shimmering bamboos provide texture and form. Winter sees the bones of Nymans revealed, its soft sandstone, quirky topiary and textured tree-trunks catching the winter light in a beguiling manner.

We’ve got no intention of hibernating this winter, so put on some extra layers and experience Nymans in its purest form.

 

  • Nymans, Handcross, nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6EB, Tel: 01444 405250, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans 
  • Gardens, woods, restaurant, shop and plant centre open every day (except Dec 25). House open every day from Mar 1 to Oct 31