Leonardslee Gardens

Horsham, United Kingdom Established: 1900

Photo: Michael Garlick / CC BY-SA 2.0, modified.

Overview

Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens is a large historic woodland and valley garden in West Sussex, best known for its lakes, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, rock garden, exotic trees and parkland wildlife. It is not really a separate Japanese garden in the strict database sense, but it has strong Japanese planting associations, especially through Japanese azaleas, Japanese maples and other East Asian plants. The estate covers about 240 acres and includes seven interlinked lakes, woodland walks and a Grade I listed designed landscape.

History

The garden’s origins go back to the early nineteenth century, but its main horticultural identity was shaped under Sir Edmund Loder, who bought Leonardslee in 1889 and developed it as a major plantsman’s garden. The famous Rock Garden was built around 1890 by James Pulham & Sons, using Pulhamite artificial rockwork and local sandstone. The gardens closed in 2010, were bought in 2017 by Penny Streeter, and reopened to the public in 2019 after a major restoration.

Design features

Leonardslee is organised as a dramatic valley landscape with lakes, woodland paths, steep slopes, rockwork and seasonal planting. The Rock Garden includes alpine plants, dwarf conifers, miniature azaleas and Japanese maples; Leonardslee’s own material also highlights Japanese maples and other rare trees as part of the autumn display. Many rhododendrons and azaleas planted at Leonardslee came from or were associated with East Asian plant-hunting traditions, including Japanese Kurume azaleas and species from Japan, China, India and North America.