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Garden open daily 1st April to 2nd October 2017, plus 21st – 31st October
10am-5pm weekdays, 10am-6pm weekends
Borde Hill House pre-booked tours.
May - August
Magnolias/ Camellias/Rhododendrons / Azaleas / Roses/Herbaceous plants
Adult £9.50
Concession £9.00
Child £6.35
Groups of 15+ £7.50 or £7.00 if pre-paid
Family day ticket £23 (2+2)
For families our Adventure playground with the longest zip wire in the area, has plenty to occupy young energetic children.
Kids events throughout the school holidays.
Picnics welcome.
Garden Highlights
March-April Magnolias and Camellias (Main Garden)
April - May Rhododendrons and Azaleas (Main Garden and Woodland)
May - June Rhododendrons, Bluebells (Woodland)
June - Sept Roses and Herbaceous plants (Main Garden)
Sept - Oct Autumn Colour (Garden & South Park)
Winner of Historic Houses Association/Christie's Garden of the Year award and South East Tourism.
Extensive collection of flowering camellias, magnificent magnolias reaching to 60 feet high, and hundreds of rhododendrons. Thousands of Spring-flowering bulbs and plants make an impressive display in the formal Garden and the ancient Woodland.
New for 2017; re-designed ‘Round Dell’ by RHS award-winner Sophie Walker and the Long Dell ‘Jewel Box’ with infinity mirrors.
Garden Opens to the public for the 2018 season: 20th March - 1st October
Magnificent magnolias Talk and Tour with Jim Garden: 22nd March
Camellia Heritage Tours: 25th March
Magnolia Tour with Head Gardener:27th March
Bertram Bunny's Easter Adventure: 30th March - 15th April
Borde Hill's photographic competition: 31st March
Storytelling for families: 4th April
Magnolia Tour with Head Gardener: 6th April
Storytelling for Families: 14th april
Photography workshop- Going digital: Explore your camera part 1: 29th April
The Edwardian Garden – golden and delicious' – Talk & Tour with Caroline Holmes- 16th May
My Garden is my Sanctuary: 23rd May
British Eventing Horse Trials:26th - 28th May
Nature: No App For That: 26th May - 3rd June
Sharp Shots Photo Workshop Capturing Colour: 29th May
Focus 10k Run for Chailey Heritage Foundation: 3rd June
Rose Celebration Weeks: 18th - 29th June
125th Anniversary Celebration: Guided Tours of the Elizabethan Mansion: 18th - 22nd June
125th Anniversary Celebration: Guided Tours of the Elizabethan Mansion: 25th - 29th June
125th Anniversary Celebration: Operatic High Tea: 1st July
Photography Workshop – Going Digital: Creative Landscapes: 15th July
Southern Classics Society Car Show: 22nd July
Sharp Shots Photo Workshop – Nature Photography: 25th July
Open Air Opera: La Boheme.: 27th July
Open Air Opera: The Marriage of Figaro: 28th July
EVENT DETAILS:
Borde Hill Opens for 2018 Season
20th March 2018
Come and visit this horticultural delight and peaceful haven from modern life when the garden opens for the 2018 season.
Garden Open daily 1000-1700 weekdays and 1000-1800 weekends until 1st October 2018 then 20th October to 31st October.
Magnificent magnolias: every garden should have one – Talk & Tour with Jim Gardiner
Mar 22 @ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Enjoy a magnolia talk given by RHS Vice President and leading horticulturalist Jim Gardiner.
Drawing from his remarkable experience of working for the RHS and his passion for magnolias, Jim will advise on the best varieties to grow whilst giving tips on planting and caring for them.
Following the talk, enjoy a private tour of the Garden during which Jim will unveil a new 'Gardiner Grove' planted with specimen magnolias and birches to mark the 125th anniversary of the purchase of Borde Hill by Colonel Stephenson R Clarke in 1893.
Ticket price includes refreshments on arrival served inside the Elizabethan House.
Tickets: £20.80 (RHS Members/Friends of Borde Hill), £26.00 non-members Book Now
Borde Hill boasts one of the finest collections of magnolias in England, with many listed as 'Champion' trees. It is a renowned collection with over 100 trees and 25 species planted throughout the Garden and Woodland. Many are the original plants collected by the Great Plant Hunters of the early 1900s and planted over 80 years ago by the Garden's founder Colonel Stephenson R Clarke.
Camellia Heritage Tour
Mar 25 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm & 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Herald the start of our new season by joining camellia enthusiast, Nick Schroder, on a guided tour of the camellia collection at Borde Hill Garden.
Trace the history of these wonderful plants, brought to Europe across the high seas from China by the tea merchants of the 18th and early 19th Centuries. Discover how Colonel Stephenson R. Clarke of Borde Hill sponsored the plant hunters, and how he raised the famous Camellia x williamsii 'Donation' here in the 1930's. The actual plants, still thriving today, will bring the tour to life as you explore this historic garden.
Tickets available on the day: £3 per person, plus standard Garden admission
Sensible shoes are advisable
Magnolia Tour with Head Gardener
Mar 27 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Join Head Gardener, Andy Stevens for a guided tour of Borde Hill's magnificent collection of early-flowering magnolias.
Borde Hill boasts one of the finest collections of magnolias in England, with many listed as 'Champion' trees. It is a renowned collection with over 100 trees and 25 species planted throughout the Garden and Woodland. Many are the original plants collected by the Great Plant Hunters of the early 1900s and planted over 80 years ago by the Garden's founder Colonel Stephenson R Clarke. They continue to flower with dramatic beauty each year.
Tickets available on the day: £3 per person, plus standard Garden admission
Jeremy's at Borde Hill, Haywards Heath
Caf? Elvira at Borde Hill
Haywards Heath
At its heart, Borde Hill House, an Elizabethan mansion dating from 1590, provides a superb backdrop to the formal Garden (17-acres) that flows into a series of distinctive, 'garden rooms', each with its own individual character and style.
Over the past century, the plantings have evolved with the aim of providing seasonal colour and interest. Early spring-flowering bulbs are followed by magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas into April and May. Spring is magnificent throughout the Garden and 'rooms' of special note at this time include Old Rhododendron Garden, Azalea Ring and Garden of Allah. The sub-tropical Round Dell and Long Dell planted with a Sino-Himalayan theme, have a magical air and these sheltered areas within the mature landscape bring unexpected pleasure to visitors during the opening seasons.
The sumptuous Rose Garden and herbaceous borders add a blaze of colour for much of the late spring, through to late summer. With colours ranging from soft pinks to crimson, intermingled with the heady fragrances of old English roses, Jay Robin's Rose Garden hosts a lavish display of some 100 varieties of David Austin roses. Box hedges and lavender line the walkways to stimulate the senses.
Two new rose borders designed by noted rosarian Charles Quest-Ritson and plantsman Dr Tony Lord were planted in early 2011. The Gold Standard Roses, kindly donated by BARB (British Association of Rose Breeders) and are healthy and floriferous, varying from very strong to pale cream colour, are planted together with unusual shrubs and perennials.
The elegant Italian Garden, one of Borde Hill's most popular 'rooms', with the rectangular pool swathed with Italian pottery filled with agapanthus and pelargoniums, has been recently replanted with a new design to strengthen its formality and ambience. The two rectangular borders either side of the pool edged with neatly trimmed box are planted with green and purple forms of pittosporum, santolina, bright red salvias, and in-filled with spring and summer bulbs.
The Park and Woodlands
The Garden extends into traditional parkland and woodlands, where the variety of micro-climates has contributed to the best collection of 'champion' trees, the tallest and largest girth, on privately-owned land in Britain. These 'champion' trees, together with many other exotic specimens, provide a canopy for spring flowers in Warren Wood, over 100 year's old, and Stephanie's Glade. Here, spring takes visitors' breath away with the sight and scent of banks of bluebells contrasting against the bright new foliage on trees and giant rhododendrons.
The woods are predominantly mixed broadleaf trees such as Oak, Ash and Chestnut, interspersed with conifers. Many specimen trees and shrubs have also been planted to give spectacular bursts of colour and form, creating a vivid blaze of hue throughout autumn.
Wildlife enthusiasts will be fascinated by the rich variety of bird and insect life that flourishes in this peaceful woodland habitat, ponds and lakes.
One of several world-class gardens, Borde Hill is stunningly beautiful and botanically-rich landscaped Garden, traditional parkland, magical woods and tranquil lakes, captivate and delight visitors of all ages. Listed by English Heritage as of Grade II* historic importance and situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the High Weald, it is among the most popular gardens in Sussex for visitors seeking horticultural inspiration, a peaceful stroll in the countryside or a day out with the family.
Borde Hill was purchased by Colonel Stephenson R Clarke in 1892 with the vision to create the Garden. He quickly established a collection of rare trees and shrubs by sponsoring plant-hunting expeditions to China, Burma, Tasmania and the Andes.
For more than a century, four generations of the Stephenson Clarke family have lovingly tended the extensive 200-acre estate, ensuring that, like any living entity, Borde Hill does not 'stand still in time' but continues to develop and grow. Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke, who now lives with his family at Borde Hill House, takes an active involvement in the garden and is keen to continue its development and enhancement.