Around the World

Today I went to Australia. Also to Japan, the Canaries Islands, South America and a lot of places in between. All this in the space of an acre. It was a return trip to the fabulous World Garden at Lullingstone Castle, near Shoreham in Kent. Friend Linda and I were in a small group shown around very entertainingly by the garden's creator, Tom Hart Dyke.

We first went there about eight years ago, the year after the garden originally opened. Back then it was a work in progress, with embryonic planting and a grand vision under early development. Now the vegetation is lush and the huge variety of plants that Tom has collected on expeditions around the world are thriving - including a Monterey pine in the North American sector of the garden that is already bigger than any at Kew. The Australian zone has its own miniature Uluru - Ayers Rock - and there is a lovely secretive bamboo walk in the Japanese area. This fabulous little statue is one of the unexpected features you discover on your way around the world of plants.

You enter the garden in the northern hemisphere and progress towards the south. It is designed that way so that the plants for the hottest countries get the best of the sun with a south-facing aspect. This horticultural jewel is so well worth a visit, and it's only about 10 minutes from the M25.