Rose Garden – 30th Anniversary Celebrations

Now home to over 750 fragrant David Austin English roses representing more than 100 varieties, Jay Robin’s Rose Garden is a feast for the senses. Robin Williams’ original 1996 design cleverly frames the Elizabethan chimneys of Borde Hill House, creating a dramatic architectural backdrop to the vibrant planting. Formal rose beds sit within a geometric framework of low hedging, Euonymus ‘Jean Hugues’, ‘Loddon Blue’ lavender and Teucrium chamaedrys, softened by curving paths and inviting walks.

During high summer, the garden bursts into life with a colour wheel of white, yellow, pink, orange and red roses, interplanted with small trees and framed by topiary and 100-year-old yew hedges. Wooden trellises draped in rambling roses, delphiniums, peonies and phlox pay homage to an original Edwardian planting style, discovered in a 1902 archive photograph featured in Country Living magazine.

At the heart of the Rose Garden is an arresting fountain statue of Aphrodite, installed in August 2020 and sculpted by artist Brendon Murless. The life-size copper figure is studded with roses and holds a bouquet from which the water bursts.

To meet the challenges of climate change, several roses have recently been replaced with robust David Austin varieties such as The Lady Gardener, Roald Dahl, Imogen and Olivia Rose Austin, ensuring the garden continues to thrive for future generations. In addition, several discontinued varieties have been updated with new selections as seen in the listing below.

Borde Hill also has a wide range of roses which are not David Austin, and include Gold Standard Roses, which received the Gold Certificate for their resistance to diseases and vigorousness. They can be seen in the Victorian Glasshouse area and in the Mid Summer Border.