Enchanting Kent – the verdant county found in South East Britain, is known far and wide as ‘the garden of England’ and, as I discovered a couple of years ago, this label is actually not an empty title.

Quite the opposite. It is a very apt description, as the lush greenery, colourful plants and flowers and rich flora I saw while I was there, is truly unique.

A view of the castle.

While visiting a relative in Maidstone, I took the opportunity to explore the abundant diversity of this county for myself. Of the myriad beautiful gardens I visited while I was there, the one I remember most vividly is the garden at Lullingstone Castle.

While this is not one of the more well-known castles, its gardens certainly are. At the time of visiting, I knew absolutely nothing about the place and had picked it simply because it was convenient, location-wise. We paid the entrance fee hesitantly, not knowing if it was worth it, when suddenly we were confronted by a 19th-century moon gate at the garden’s entrance.

One highlight that should be opening to the public shortly is the hive section

I had heard of moon gates, which are a curious and spiritually meaningful feature of Chinese gardens. Yet, I had never seen one and the idea of stumbling upon one in England felt totally out of place. It sure caught my attention, though – and, of course, I couldn’t help thinking that it was rather like something out of the village of Hobbitton from Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

But the best was to come. Looking through the circular opening, I could make out an amazingly unique garden. Unlike other castle gardens, the one at Lullingstone is not laid out in neat, symmetrical rows and shapes. It is not at all conventional, in that the plants and bushes are not even indigenous to the UK, or even quite suite to English weather, which is also why the garden itself is interspersed with greenhouses.

Plants, shrubs, trees, flowers and cultivars from all over the world abound. In fact, the plants are divided according to the geographical area they originally derive from. You can see Wollemi Pine Trees (the oldest trees in the world) in the Australian section; the Hot and Spiky House, which is a collection of cacti, is to be found in the South American section; the smelly Dog Pooh Plant is to be seen in the African section. I am not a botanical or horticultural expert by no stretch of the imagination – however, all plants are scrupulously labelled and marked, with a short panel of facts provided near them. The garden also hosts the National Collection of Eucalyptus, which comprises around 100 different species collected from Tasmania, and is kept with other Southern Hemisphere plants in a very colourful greenhouse.

The Baobab Tree.

While we were looking for the Cloud Garden House, which hosts the most sensitive and delicate of the plants within Lullingstone, when we came across an ex-tremely friendly man who introduced himself as Tom, and gave us some directions.

At the time, I thought nothing of it, believing him to be a caretaker. Only later did I realise that ‘Tom’ was actually Tom Hart Dyke, whose family owned Lullingstone Castle – and whose name had become a newspaper headliner in March 2000, when he was abducted and taken hostage by guerrilla fighters while searching for a rare orchid in the Panamian Jungle.

Tom was released nine months later and, in various interviews, he recounted how while in fear for his life, all that had kept him going was his dream of designing a World Garden whereby he would collect rare and exotic plants from around the globe.

The horticulturist’s dream became reality when, after his release, he published the bestselling The Cloud Garden. He also took part in a 12-part series with BBC, getting involved in other projects which aided him in spurring loads of publicity. Of course, being the owner of a historic manor house with a 120-acre park, helped too.

Tom’s story – which, fortunately, ended well – acts as a perfect foil for the garden itself. I could very well imagine a fearless, suntanned Tom braving the jungles of Africa or the forests of China, to bring back delicate orchids and fantastically-coloured shrubs to the fertile climate of Kent.

I couldn’t help thinking that it was rather like something out of the village of Hobbitton from Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Other individual sections within the gardens comprise Europe, Asia, America, Africa and The Canaries. Depending on the season, large numbers of plants are intermittently lifted from the walled garden and moved to glasshouses or poly-tunnels to protect them from the elements.

This is a huge and ongoing endeavour; in fact, works within the World Garden are always in progress. The garden is a living, breathing entity which continues to expand and evolve.

The World Garden.

One highlight that should be opening to the public shortly is the hive section. Here, the inquisitive tourist can learn all about the processes of bee-keeping and the way honey is produced. I found the whole process extremely interesting, and even purchased some home-made honey for myself. But, the ones who truly seemed to be captivated were the hordes of school-children visiting on the day. With tablets and smartphones (neither of which I was blessed with at their age) they tried to capture every bee, petal and nuance of the place.

After some time spent meandering, I was happy to find a picturesque spot by the lake from where I could enjoy my lunch, while trying to assimilate all I had seen. Unlike many other gardens and parks in the UK, the Lullingstone World Garden does not fall under the care of any cultural organisation, like the National Trust.

It is completely independent and under the sole responsibility of the owners. This is why the love and involvement of Tom and his family is so admirable in the management of the gardens.

The visit to Lullingstone Gardens was akin to a journey around the world, in that I got to experience and enjoy trees, herbs and plants which otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate. It was truly magical and out of the box, quite a refreshing change from the usual stately and more formal gardens found around most castles or manors. A must visit for all those who love nature.