Borde Hill These glittering gardens erupt with colour in summer, with fragrant roses, lavender and ‘Paradise’ borders
These glittering gardens erupt with colour in summer, with fragrant roses, lavender and sumptuous ‘Paradise’ borders
Some gardens can’t help but epitomise the exuberance and sheer beauty of summer. Set in 200 acres of parkland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Borde Hill is renowned for its diverse planting, outdoor ‘rooms’, spectacular vistas and fine trees. There has been a house here since 1598, when the oldest part of the current house was built for Sir Stephen Borde. But it wasn’t until the late 19th century, when Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke bought
the house, that the 17 acres of gardens started to take shape. Clarke was an enthusiastic supporter of plant-hunting expeditions to the Himalayas, China, Burma, Tasmania and the Andes by the intrepid plant collectors of the day, Ernest Wilson, George Forrest, Joseph Rock and Frank Kingdon-Ward. As a result, Borde Hill is regarded as having one of the best private collections of champion trees in Britain (the largest specimens of their kind) and a fine collection of rare trees and shrubs.
The Azalea Ring was one of the first areas to be planted at the beginning of the 20th century, and although it takes its name from these colourful springflowering shrubs, it also contains a majestic Cornus kousa and rare Emmenopterys henryi tree, grown from seed in 1928 that was brought back from China by George Forrest. It’s notoriously shy to flower in Britain, but last year’s cold winter and summer heatwave encouraged it to produce its creamy-white flowers for only the fourth time. The informally planted dell known as the Garden of Allah was created as a place of tranquillity and peace. Paths wind through rhododendrons, an impressive Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinense), and a collection of magnificent magnolias. In summer the rose garden takes centre stage, its fragrant blooms partnered by delphiniums, peonies and phlox. In 1995 the family came across an old photograph in Country Life magazine from 1902 showing the original rose garden, which provided the inspiration to recreate it. Now, 100 cultivars of David Austin roses are surrounded by box, nepeta and fragrant lavender hedging. A central rectangular pool, stone terracing, crisply-clipped topiary and large terracotta pots give the Italian garden a formal feel. Once the family tennis court, it’s now full of large pots of striking blue agapanthus and colourful pelargoniums in summer, waterlilies on the pond and unusual shrubs such as Discaria discolor. The geometric beds are edged with myrtle and Magnolia grandiflora ‘Kay Parris’ is trained into standards. The current owner, Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke (great grandson of Colonel Clarke) and his wife Eleni have worked to maintain the historic plant collections and extend the garden’s seasonal interest. Paradise Walk, replanted in 2013 to a James Alexander-Sinclair design, is packed with perennials such as kniphofias, asters and perovskia. The brick walls and leaded windows of the old potting sheds create a romantic
An old photograph showing the original rose garden provided the inspiration to recreate it
backdrop and provide shelter for a collection of unusual tender plants from Chile and South Africa, such as abutilon and Indigofera amblyantha. Among the lush architectural foliage of the Round Dell there are exciting new plant discoveries from far-flung corners of the globe, such as schefflera, to continue Borde Hill’s connection with its plant-hunting past.