It’s a wonderful time of year, full of promise with daffodils, primroses and anemones all bursting into bloom to lift our spirits after a long, grey winter. It maybe due to my heightened awareness of nature as we find ways to encourage as much biodiversity into the Garden, but I’m noticing more and more wildlife year on year. Last year we introduced frog spawn into the Wildlife Pond which is now alive with frogs and spawn, alongside leverets in the meadows and ducks nesting along the river.

One of our main projects for 2025 will be the borders along the Pergola. We are aiming to replant these beds with 250 new shrubs, perennials, and grasses to the Garden, making this a wonderful resource for students at the College as well as a spectacle for visitors. The secondary function of this border is to grow named cultivars to then sell divisions of in the Visitor Centre. I would like all the plants that we sell to have come from the Garden or to be growing in the Gardens, compared to buying plants that you would find in any garden centre. Chantal will be leading this project, do pop in and see her and ask any questions as the project unfurls.

As a member and regular visitor to the Gardens, I need to ask for your help. One of the joyful aspects of visiting West Dean is that we permit dogs on leads to enjoy the space. We aim to keep the Gardens clean and filled with wildlife for all to enjoy. Recently, we have noticed more dogs being let off the lead which is frustrating and terrifying for the chickens! With more and more new visitors to the Gardens, please could you help the team to remind people to keep their dogs on leads, whether in the Spring Garden or Arboretum to keep the Gardens a special place for our four-legged friends too.

Tom Brown, The Head Gardener