Emmetts is a 4 acre garden and arboretum standing at the highest point in Kent on the 600-foot sandstone ridge.
The informal garden was once thickly screened by trees but the great storm of 1987 felled great 80-foot oaks and beeches crowning the hill and opened up wonderful views over the Weald as far as the North Downs to the north and Crowborough Beacon to the south.
The estate was purchased by the banker Frederick Lubbock in the late 19th century and he created the garden between 1893 and 1895. The Shrub Garden was planted in 1900 - 1908. Lubbock's love of trees and shrubs was inspired by his friendship with the great gardener William Robinson.
The arboretum on the shoulder of the ridge could well have been laid out by Robinson. Here there are beautifully positioned mature trees and shrubs, including numerous varieties of rhododendrons and camellias and exotic specimens such as the Bhutan pine, the handkerchief tree, the Chinese ginkgo and the Japanese maple.
In the spring the glades are carpeted with daffodils and in the autumn, when the foliage of the differing trees and shrubs mix their various hues, the arboretum is an enchanting place.
Laid out beside the austere Victorian house is the formal rose garden which provides summer colour. The garden is set around a central fountain has old-fashioned varieties in white, pink and crimson.
The more intimate rock garden has been restored. The slabs of Cumbrian limestone are planted with rhododendrons, dwarf pines, maples and tree heathers and a little waterfall splashes down into a lily pond.
Emmetts Garden is now in the care of the National Trust.
Beside the garden is a deep wooded valley which is part of the Trust's 300-acre estate here.
The valley falls sharply away from the arboretum and a contoured path leads down from Emmetts into the upper wood. In the spring this wood is flooded with bluebells.
Altogether 18 acres of garden and woodlands are open to the public.
2009: Garden: 14Mar-1Nov 11:00-17:00 Mon-Wed & Sat-Sun. Open Bank Holiday Mondays & Good Friday. Last entry 45min before close.
Tel: 01732 751509 - Infoline Emmetts Garden Website
