Ever since moving to a home with a garden last year, we have become bewitched by all things horticultural. Our newest discovery is the magical King John’s Nursery, nestled in the East Sussex countryside. No ordinary garden centre, it’s more like the imaginings in a Frances Hodgson Burnett novel.

Set within the eight-acre garden of King John’s Lodge, the stunning grade II listed house is the backdrop to formal lawns with a fountain, lily pond, wild garden with ancient apple trees, a meadow and the most tranquil, secret pond where you can sit a while in the sunshine, listen to the birds singing, watch dragonflies and bees at work.

This beautiful nursery is brimming with plants that are mostly propagated and grown on site. Flowers, herbs and shrubs of all sizes and age jostle for space on the ground, shelves and ledges. The scents and colours spill over into the pathways and lead you down to a lovely tea-room, where you can rest a while and take in the views across the garden and countryside.

Inside the lovely white weatherboarded shop you will find rustic and modern garden accessories, a fabulous selection of eco-friendly products, unique home-wares, and a few carefully curated antique pieces. They also hold regular vintage fairs with stalls piled high with old and beautiful treasures, and the nursery brimming with garden inspiration.

Images by Jeska Hearne