The scent and colour of lavender are filling Merriments Gardens this summer, as the Medicinal Garden comes into full bloom with drifts of fragrant purple flowers around its tranquil water rill.
Visitors can now enjoy one of the garden’s most atmospheric seasonal highlights, with lavender bringing its distinctive perfume, silvery foliage and nectar-rich flowers to the four-acre East Sussex garden.
Long valued for its calming fragrance and loved by gardeners for its resilience in sunny, well-drained positions, lavender is bringing a classic summer spectacle to the garden while providing a rich source of nectar for wildlife.
The lavender is also playing an important role in Merriments’ wildlife-friendly approach. Grown as part of the garden’s organic, pesticide-free planting, it is helping attract pollinators including bees and butterflies, while adding scent, texture and colour for visitors to enjoy.
The lavender display comes as Merriments welcomes 30,000 bees from Sussex-based specialist R and R Bees, a small business that breeds bees, including queens. The new arrivals, Buckfast bees known for their prolific honey production, have settled into two new hives - and within just a month, the colony is expected to double to around 60,000.
Dan Warne, Head Gardener and beekeeper, said: “Lavender is one of the great sensory plants of summer. It brings scent, colour and movement to the Medicinal Garden, and it is wonderful for pollinators. As our bees are a small colony, we are focused on building up their numbers this year, but they are doing so well we are expecting our first honey harvest this year. We hope to harvest around 100lbs of honey next year, which we will either sell or use in the Merriments Conservatory Café.”
Summer is the perfect time to experience the lavender at Merriments and uncover this garden gem. Just off the A21 near Hurst Green, Merriments is easy to find and packed with reasons to visit.
Now owned by Caravan Tech, the well-established family-run business that relocated from its previous site in Hurst Green to this idyllic countryside setting, Merriments has entered an exciting new chapter.
Since the acquisition, the gardens have benefited from extensive renovation and improvement, including the opening of a new eatery known as the conservatory. Visitors can now enjoy a relaxed day out that combines a leisurely stroll through the gardens with food and drink in the Merriments Conservatory café, which offers both indoor and outdoor seating.
Head Gardener Dan Warne, alongside his team and dedicated volunteers, has brought fresh energy to the four-acre site, restoring water features and introducing vibrant new flower beds.
The gardens are open daily throughout the year Monday - Saturday: 8:30am-4:30pm. Sunday: 9:30am-4:30pm. Admission is £8 for adults and Children under 15 are free. Free admission for RHS Members.
Garden tickets including season tickets are available from the conservatory café, offering free entry to the gardens throughout the year. Prices are season tickets are £35 for a single ticket and £55 for a joint ticket.
Dogs are welcome in both the gardens and Merriments Conservatory Café, and the accessible, wheelchair-friendly paths help ensure everyone can enjoy the experience. There is also a children’s play area at Merriments.
Merriments Gardens is at Hawkhurst Road, Hurst Green, Etchingham, East Sussex, TN19 7RA. www.caravantech.co.uk/merriments
