Nymans was made great by the bold and innovative Messel family, and the three talented Head Gardeners who have worked there since 1895. The creativity of the Messels was galvanised by friendships and rivalries with local gardening luminaries such as the Loder family, William Robinson and the Stephenson Clarkes. Intrepid plant hunters such as Ernest Wilson, Frank Kingdon-Ward and Harold Comber supplied Nymans with a dazzling array of plants from countries as far flung as China, Chile and Tasmania.
The Loders (at Leonardslee) would have influenced Ludwig Messel in particular – they were established Wealden garden makers by the time Nymans was purchased and are recorded as visitors here. The Messels and Stephenson Clarkes (at Borde Hill) developed their gardens simultaneously using the same plant hunters and therefore Nymans and Borde Hill can almost be viewed as sister gardens.
There are more peripheral characters such as Reginald Cory (the man who founded the Chelsea Flower Show) and Lord Aberconway (Bodnant Gardens) who visited the Wealden Gardens and would have influenced the choice of woody plants grown. Nymans is now cared for by The National Trust.
