Dine beside our private Japanese garden in Kent
Adrian designed and planned the The Silk House garden in 2015, starting with an unkempt field and a few mature trees. Adrian, Silke and Hendrik dug out ponds (with a 5 tonne digger and dumper), made large mounds, shifted a lot of rock and laid out the bones of the garden rooms in 2016. It was inspired by our extensive travels around Japan and we wanted an unusual and high class garden. We built the outdoor kitchen annexe oak frame building with a Big Green Egg, Weber Summit and smoker in 2020 and we have plans for a tea house and outdoor dining area as climate change drives some garden redesign thoughts.
Silke, an RHS trained plantswoman (at Hever Castle), did the planting and propagation mostly from small plants she had been growing on for several years. She planted hundreds of beech, hornbeam and yews to create hedges and cordon off "borrowed landscape" and vistas. We harvest and recirculate rainwater and compost absolutely everything. We have a Chelsea Gold Medal winning acer in the zen dry garden (along with about 30 other acers), various pines, giant bamboos, five ponds containing Koi, Tench, Orfe and lots of wildlife. We create Bonsai and Niwaki, and Silke has a huge collection of Aeoniums - one of her areas of special horticultural expertise. The main garden is designed as a stroll and water zen garden with many traditional Japanese features and granite sculptures sourced in Japan. including some antique statuary.
It has been lauded by the Japanese Garden Society who have visited twice and published us on their website, and for several years we opened the garden for charity but it's now entirely private. Many have said it is the best private Japanese garden in Kent; we maintain it entirely ourselves - no gardeners or help. It's a labour of love but it is always developing and major changes will happen over the next two years to address climate change and our evolving approach. It will include more dry areas, a much expanded kitchen garden to address restaurant growth, and more sculpture, less lawn and more light. Mediterranean plants are being introduced in some areas.
Guests often have access to the Japanese garden (though not other areas and garden rooms) at our discretion when the weather is fine. It is outstandingly photogenic for special celebrations and weddings. There is no restaurant service in the garden or on the Koi terrace, except for drinks & cocktails. We don't permit access to the kitchen garden, which is very much a production area, but Silke is more than happy to give produce & growing tips. The restaurant itself is just a few steps away from numerous fresh herb beds which we use and refresh constantly.
The Japanese garden creates a very unusual restaurant setting in the Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and rural mid-Kent area, providing an oasis of tranquility yet within a few minutes of a direct line railway station to London Canon Street and the City. The garden remains spectacular throughout the seasons as even in winter there are many evergreen plants and trees. Autumn is beautiful with maple leaves changing colour, and spring is blossom season for our cherries, including a huge spectacular double pom-pom Kwasan specimen over the Orfe pond.
