First of all, an apology to anyone in the Goodwood area who was driving behind Miss Marple while she was negotiating the hills on the way to West Dean Gardens.

A sizeable queue of traffic formed as her 918cc engine worked hard in third gear, going down to second, on that particular stretch of road.

Otherwise, the pretty lanes around Goodwood were smooth and Miss Marple, 61, showed no signs of retirement.

With the roof down, and a picnic basket on the back seat, we were ready to investigate the gardens of West Sussex. First stop: West Dean, the former home of poet Edward James, patron of surrealist artists including Dali and Magritte.

There was something holistic about the intensity of light and vibrant colour combinations in the Walled Garden at West Dean. An immediate feeling of calm transcended as I walked along the paths which cross the herbaceous borders.

The late summer feel-good factor came in huge splashes of yellow and blue with generous helpings of lillies, agapanthus, nicotina, nigella, marguerites, clematis and lemon-coloured nasturtiums trying escape their beds.

Around the walls and at the rear of the borders were espaliered apple and pear trees, pyramids and goblets. The refurbished greenhouses, creaking under the weight of chillis and tomatoes, immediately provide inspiration to grow your own. Even in the smaller cold frames the salad crops burst with vigour.

The kitchen garden is internationally acclaimed for its methods and production of fruit and vegetables. Every lettuce and vegetable stood to attention in a perfect row and weeds were non-existent. Careful, regular watering and enriched soil allows for continuous cropping with up to six growings a year.

Head gardener Jim Buckland and his team of 10 gardeners share their knowledge and offer growing tips to visitors who literally do stand back in amazement at economic use of space and quality of every plant.

It was difficult to drag myself away from the Walled Garden but there was a two-and-a-half-mile Parkland walk around the 50-acre aborteum to cover.

It was here that West Dean estate owner Edward James kept his golden pheasants and planted many of the exotic, pendulous, contorted and twisted trees.

The arboretum is his final resting place and he is buried beneath a slab of Cumbrian slate inscribed with the simple words 'Edward James, Poet 1907 - 1984'.

The walk also offers breathtaking views of the Sussex Downs and the flint mansion, now West Dean College.

On the North Lawn, the Edwardian 300ft pergola, designed by Harold Peto, is draped with roses, clematis and honeysuckle. The Gazebo at its west end has a floor of knapped flints and the herbaceous borders are planted with hostas, pelargoniums, ferns and iris and dicentras.

The pergola was rebuilt after the storm of 1987, as part of the rescue plan by the WestDean trustees who formulated a long-term policy to ensure the garden’s survival for future generations.

Many trees were lost in 1987 but there are still some majestic specimens from the early 19th century, including beeches, limes, planes and cedars.

West Dean also holds two National Collections of Liriodendron, (Tulip tree) and Aesculus (Horse Chestnut). West Dean is a garden that’s worth visiting in any season - it works wonders for the soul but ruins any schedule.

Like Miss Marple, West Dean is not to be rushed. The 90-acre site deserves a full day’s viewing and any plan to visit other gardens in the area, including the Casa Sculpture Foundation garden and Denman’s Gardens on the same day is too ambitious.

Of course, the best solution is visit Chichester and West Sussex again and again.

West Dean Gardens are in West Sussex PO18 0RX. For opening hours, autumn and Christmas events and prices see www.westdean.org.uk

Miss Marple-style Morris Minor 1000 hire from www.vanillaclassics.com