Top gardener's garden near Seaford will open to the public for the last time on June 29

“The years are catching up with us,” says Rosie “and public openings are such hard work.”

Rosie and Robin have been opening their garden for charity since 1987, first at their previous house, Bankton Cottage in Crawley Down, and since 2013 in the pretty hamlet of West Dean, raising over £50,000 in the process.

Rosie’s Bankton Cottage garden was featured in Patrick Taylor’s book The Top 1,000 Gardens in the UK and the garden at The Long House is even more romantic and interesting.

Planted in cottage garden style and full of roses, hollyhocks, poppies, clematis, lavenders plus plenty more unusual plants, it is subtly divided into different areas, each with its own atmosphere and fragrance.

A pond full of fish, a wild flower paddock, a folly, a long perennial border and a fine collection of Cretan pots (Rosie and Robin founded Pots and Pithoi, suppliers of pots to King Charles’s garden at Highgrove) are extra reasons to visit this glorious garden.

Home made cakes and tea will be served throughout the day and plants, raised by Rosie, will be on sale.

All proceeds will be shared between West Dean’s church, All Saints, and village funds.

Admission £6 (cash only), children free, no dogs. Free parking in West Dean village. Opening times 11am-5pm.