Garden Rooms
Discover the beauty of nature in the heart of the English countryside
Our Garden Rooms
Our nationally important English country Garden has magnificent views over 383 acres of Grade II* heritage listed Parkland. Planted with passion as a series of outdoor ‘Garden rooms’, and with one of the country’s largest privately owned collections of champion trees and sculptures dotted throughout, you can experience the world in one Garden.
We aim to take you on a journey as you move between the Garden rooms, many of which were originally planted by Col. Robert Stephenson Clark but renewed by subsequent generations of the family. Ours is a very different approach from many twentieth-century English gardens, where gardens are divided from each other by hedging or walls. In contrast, we try to give the approach of greater permeability and naturalism to the Garden.
Jay Robin’s Rose Garden
Designed by RHS gold medal winner Robin Williams in 1996 and named after Andrewjohn and Eleni Stephenson Clarke’s daughter, this garden now has over 750 fragrant David Austin English roses and is a real feast for the senses.
Italian Garden
One of the most popular rooms in the Garden. Here you will find our formal lily pool with panoramic views stretching across the South Park and lakes, surrounded by Italian style plantings. A place of pure tranquillity, it’s the ideal spot to soak up the sun and let the world pass by.
Paradise Walk
Connecting the South Lawn and West of the Garden, this colourful gentle ramble of a route, previously known as The Long Walk, winds its way along the tall stone southern boundary wall of the Garden and provides access to the Italian Garden, Round Dell and Old Potting Sheds.
Round Dell
Garden of Allah
This beautiful corner of the Garden was named by Sir Ralph Stephenson Clarke because of its peace and tranquillity. Originally created in 1925 it was the main area Col. Stephenson Robert Clarke nurtured many of the species brought back by the Great Plant Hunters.
Today it is perhaps the most planted area of the garden, with an impressive range of rare Champion trees, shrubs and perennials enhanced over five generations.
Mid Summer Border and South Lawn
The Mid Summer Border is a teardrop-shaped bed of fiery-coloured perennials, grasses and shrubs, located in the south-eastern corner of the South Lawn. In 2012, former garden adviser to the National Trust and a holder of the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour, Dr Tony Lord, curated a mixture of herbaceous plants and Gold Standard Roses in shades of orange, red and yellow which are further complemented by burnished gold and green grasses.
Azalea Ring
Old Potting Sheds
Once the heart of the working garden, these former sheds were home to plants that were propagated from cuttings or grown from seeds before being planted around the Garden we see now. The moss-covered ruins still have some leaded windows intact, creating an ethereal backdrop for plants from all over the world.
Old Rhododendron Garden
Our Seasonal Highlights
Whatever the season, our Garden is a treat for the senses. From springtime’s magnificent displays of early flowering magnolias, camellias, azaleas and swathes of rhododendrons, to the summer months, when the glorious fragrance of hundreds of roses can be smelt all around.
Autumn at Borde Hill is particularly special and the entire landscape is transformed by the colours of our mature, award-winning trees and fiery autumnal foliage in the Grade II* listed landscape.
Find your favourite bench and enjoy the joyous balance of nature, while you sit in peaceful contemplation and let the world pass by.
Our Historic Plant Archive
The History Behind Our Unique Plant Collections
The Garden Café
Located in the old Peacock House and nestled between the Rose Garden and Mid Summer Border, the Garden Café is the perfect spot to sit and relax with a barista coffee, light lunch or a delicious cup of tea.
Our Garden Map
Take a look at a map of our 17 acre formal Garden.
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The Garden is open 10am-5pm, daily (3.30pm from 4th November).
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Our Garden & Grounds
Set within 383 acres of heritage listed Parkland, our formal Garden captivates and delights visitors with a series of intimate 'Garden rooms'. Beyond the formal Garden you can explore Woodland walks, the South Park and our lakes with outstanding views across the Sussex High Weald.
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Support Us
As a small, independent Garden Charity, we rely on your kind generosity to help fund our projects and to continue to grow sustainably, protecting our natural heritage for generations to come. 'Reinventing Borde Hill' is our most ambitious project to date and your support will help us to achieve exciting plans to benefit our local community.
It would make a huge difference if you would consider supporting us by making a donation – thank you.
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