PREFACE 
The garden is undoubtedly a favoured spot, otherwise not 
one half the things would grow which figure in this list. Miss 
Jekyll once said that Nymans belonged to the Forest Ridge 
of Sussex, which apparently is the cause for success. 
We do not get the frosts here that our neighbours, only a 
mile or so away, suffer from. 
The top part of the garden is nearly 500 feet high ; the 
house itself is about 450 feet ; the ground slopes gently 
from the north and rather more steeply upon the east and 
west. The soil is loam with sandstone below, and in the 
woods below the house there is clay. 
The Pinetum was planted in a large semicircle, facing 
south-east ; sheltering it from the north and south-west 
winds there is a belt of spruce trees, which were planted now 
nearly thirty years ago. 
The garden which I describe as the Top Garden (for want 
of a better name) is on the west side of the same spruce trees. 
Here are to be found the shrub houses and the cactus garden. 
The reason for these houses is to have a place where the 
plants which are doubtfully hardy can be grown. Generally 
when young plants are put out of doors, which are of special 
interest, one at least is kept in the houses, so that if a more 
than usually severe winter carries off the outdoor plants one 
remains to “ fight another day,” and is not lost to the 
collection. Only in very severe weather is the stove lighted 
in the shrub houses to keep off the hardest frost, and often 
the temperature falls to 35 degrees. Nevertheless such plants 
as Alberta magna, Ochna multiflora, Rhododendron Nuttalli 
and many others live and flower well here. 
The cactus garden is between the two houses ; it has a 
light span roof for protection against winter rains, but in 
the summer it is quite open and the sides are open all the 
year round. 
Between the top drive and the house is the wall garden, 
