Godman also took an interest in plants, maintaining a large collection of rhododendrons, orchids and alpine plants in his garden and rockery at South Lodge near Horsham. This house is now the South Lodge Hotel. There appears to have been a friendly rivalry with his friend Sir Edmund Loder, a plantsman and owner of nearby Leonardslee country estate. They co-operated on "loderii" hybrid rhododendron, a cross between Leanardslee's "Rhododendron fortunei" and South Lodge's "Rhododendron griffianthium". South Lodge remains notable for its rhododendrons. His other botanical passions included orchids and nerines, and with his gardener, Geoffrey Giles, he propagated rare orchids, regularly being awarded for his efforts by the Royal Horticultural Society. Along with his brother Colonel Charles Bulkeley Godman (1849–1941), he took an interest in hunting with dogs, fishing and shooting.