Mary Keen in her garden at home (credit Eva Nemeth)
Diary of a Keen Gardener: Mary Keen in conversation with Arthur Parkinson at Gravetye Manor
Talk & Lunch on Tuesday 29th September 2026
On 29th September, Gravetye Manor will host a very special event with acclaimed garden writer and designer Mary Keen, in conversation with gardener, writer and broadcaster Arthur Parkinson.
One of Britain’s most respected gardening voices, Mary Keen has spent decades shaping and influencing the world of horticulture through her work as a designer, journalist and author. Over her long career, she has created some of the finest gardens in England. But rather than tell the story of those paradises, in her latest book Diary of a Keen Gardener, Mary turns her attention closer to home, offering a deeply personal and beautifully observed account of everyday life in the garden, inspired by the rhythms of her own back garden and nearby allotment.
Joining Mary is Arthur Parkinson, whose romantic and naturalistic style of gardening has earned him a devoted following. Known for his writing, broadcasting and deeply personal approach to horticulture, Arthur brings warmth, humour and insight to conversations around gardens, flowers and the people behind them. Together, they will explore Mary's gardening philosophy, and what she continues to learn about plants, ecology and life.
Guests are invited to arrive at 10.30am for tea and coffee, before the talk begins at 11.00am. A three-course lunch will follow at midday, served at shared tables in Gravetye’s glass-fronted Michelin starred dining room, overlooking the gardens. Following the lunch there will also be the opportunity to take a short, guided tour of the gardens with Gravetye’s Head Gardener Tom Coward.
Tickets are £165.00 per person, inclusive of tea/coffee on arrival and three-course lunch. Guests will also receive a signed copy of Diary of a Keen Gardener to take home.
More information and reservation link here
Notes to editors:
Gravetye Manor is a hotel and restaurant with Four Red Stars, Three Rosettes, Two Michelin Keys and One Michelin Star, in West Sussex on the Kent/Surrey/Sussex borders.
Gravetye Manor, an Elizabethan manor house hotel and Michelin starred restaurant in West Sussex looks out over 35 acres of stunning world-renowned gardens, walled kitchen garden, orchard, glasshouses and Peach House set within a further 1000 acres of woodland. Originally created by visionary gardener William Robinson in 1885, Gravetye Manor’s gardens are considered amongst the most influential in horticultural history and one of the most important historic gardens in England. Robinson’s preference for the ‘wild garden’, mixed herbaceous borders and hardy perennial planting broke with the formal Victorian style of the day, and his radical approach remains as popular as ever with gardeners today.
Continuing Robinson’s legacy is Gravetye Manor’s Head Gardener, Tom Coward, ensuring every tree, shrub and flower is lovingly cared for while retaining the spirit of Robinson’s original plan and thinking for the space.
Address: Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly, Sussex, RH19 4LJ
Tel: 01342 810567
Website: www.gravetyemanor.co.uk
Instagram: @gravetyemanor