Open Gardens
Support your local hospice this summer and visit an open garden near you. Supporters across Sussex are kindly opening their gardens to raise funds for Martlets and our sister hospices St Barnabas House and Chestnut Tree House.
Event details
When: Dates between June and October, see all listings below.
Could you open your garden?
Are you a budding botanist, green-fingered gardener or proud of your pond? Opening your garden to visitors is a great way to support your local hospice, while meeting new people and spending quality time in the fresh air.
Get in touch with our community fundraising team if you're interested in taking part - we'd love to hear from you!
91 The Ridgeway
Date: Sunday 19 July
Location: 91 The Ridgeway, Woodingdean, BN2 6PB
Opening times: 11am to 5pm
Other: Plant sale, raffle, homemade cakes, unsuitable for wheelchairs
Admission cost: Donations welcomed
About this open garden:
Gill Maskell has been opening her garden since 2007 and welcomes visitors from 11am to 5pm. This well-established garden features a wide variety of trees and shrubs, a beautiful pond, and winding paths that guide you around the grounds. Please note that, unfortunately, the paths are not suitable for wheelchairs.
Visitors can enjoy homemade cakes and cream teas in the garden or take some treats home. There will also be a plant sale and raffle.
Supporting Martlets hospice.
Hearts and Flowers
Date: Saturday 25 July
Location: Stanmer Park, Lewes Road, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9PZ. What3Words: bikes.influencing.relax
Opening times: 11am to 5pm
Other: Cut flowers, tours of garden, some plants for sale
Admission cost: Donations welcomed
About this open garden:
Rona Couper has run Hearts and Flowers since 2018 when she set it up with her friend. The social enterprise has been taking forward activities focused on promoting local growing as an alternative to the unsustainable commercial cut flower industry.
Hearts and Flowers is based at a one-acre site at Stanmer Organics in the South Downs National Park. They provide a welcoming space for local people with barriers to nature to take part in sessions designed to boost mental and physical health. There are lots of trees and wild birds and a wide variety of perennial and annual flowers suitable for cutting as well as a wildflower meadow.
Supporting Martlets hospice.
Highdown Gardens
Date: Saturday 25 July
Location: Highdown Gardens, 33 Highdown Rise, (off Littlehampton Road), Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6FB
Opening times: 10am to 4.30pm
Other: Awareness stand, visitor centre, picnics permitted
Admission cost: Suggested donation £5
About this open garden:
Created in the early 20th century by Sir Frederick Stern, the garden is renowned for transforming an inhospitable chalk quarry into a thriving and diverse landscape.
Highdown Gardens is a unique and tranquil chalk garden set on the edge of the South Downs above Worthing, with sweeping views towards the sea. It is home to a remarkable National Plant Collection, including rare trees and shrubs grown from seed collected on historic plant-hunting expeditions to China and the Himalayas.
Despite its horticultural significance, the garden retains an intimate and peaceful atmosphere, with hidden corners, rockeries and quiet seating areas inviting exploration and reflection.
Today, Highdown Gardens remains a beautifully maintained and accessible space, combining botanical richness with a sense of calm and seclusion, making it one of the area’s most distinctive and rewarding gardens to visit.
Supporting St Barnabas House hospice.
More ways to support Martlets
Visit our shops
Find your nearest Martlets charity shop. Shop, donate and recycle while supporting hospice care in your community.
Give in your Will
A gift in your Will will help us to continue caring for local people with life-limiting conditions for years to come.
Donate
Our care is free thanks to the generosity of brilliant donors like you. Give today and help Martlets keep caring.