Borde Hill Garden – Toovey’s Blog

130th Anniversary Celebrated at Borde Hill

Andrewjohn and Eleni Stephenson Clarke with their children Jay Robin and Harry at Borde Hill

This June the Stephenson Clarke’s celebrate their 130th anniversary at Borde Hill as the fifth generation of their family step forward to steward this beautiful corner of England. Set in its historic parkland Borde Hill Garden is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in West Sussex.

Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke (known fondly as Stephie) purchased the Elizabethan mansion in 1893 and set about creating the woodland and gardens. He employed many of the great planter hunters of the early 20th century, men like Ernest Henry Wilson and George Forrest, to bring back rare and exotic plants from across the world.

Correspondence between Stephie his nursery and plantsmen, as well as family photographs in the Borde Hill archive provide a unique insight into the horticultural world of the inter-war years.

Stephie died in 1946 and his son Ralph inherited the house, garden and estate. The garden and woodland had been neglected during the Second World War and Ralph set about restoring them.

During the tenure of Stephie’s grandson, Robert, the profile of Borde Hill and its plant collection was raised. Robert won many awards at RHS shows.

Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke and his wife, Eleni took over Borde Hill’s house, park and garden in 1988 shortly after the Great Storm of 1987. The eminent dendrologist, Alan Mitchell, described Borde Hill at that time as ‘one of the most comprehensive collections of trees and shrubs in the world…[with a] huge wealth of rare eastern Asiatics, within the framework of the original scheme.’ Andrewjohn and Eleni have not only preserved these qualities in the garden but have employed innovative designers, evolving the garden and its planting.

As the 130th anniversary is celebrated at Borde Hill Andrewjohn and Eleni’s children, Jay Robin and Harry, are stepping forward to take on the custodianship of the house, garden and estate. Their priorities match our times as they seek to address climate change and biodiversity, mental well-being and sustainability.

From the 12-18th June, the Grade II listed Mansion House at the heart of the Garden will exclusively open for a week of tours to celebrate 130 years since visionary plantsman and owner Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke first created the magnificent collection of rare trees and flowering shrubs across the Estate.

Visitors can pre-book access to the beautiful garden, Elizabethan Mansion House and view the significant horticultural archive which unlocks the history of the notable rare and unusual plants at Borde Hill. To book your tickets and find out more visit www.bordehill.co.uk/events/130-years-of-planting-excellence.

Borde Hill Coronation Plant Fair

Borde Hill Gardens will be holding their annual plant fair in celebration of our gardening King on Sunday 7th May 2023 between 10am and 3pm.

The gardens at Borde Hill were first laid out by Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke’s great grandfather, Colonel Stephenson R. Clarke. He purchased the house and land in 1893. Between 1893 and 1937 he sponsored many of the Great Plant Collectors’ expeditions. They returned with rare specimens brought back from their travels in the Himalayas, China, Burma, Tasmania and the Andes. Many of these plant species are still at the heart of the collection which make up the seventeen acres of these Grade II star listed gardens.

This spirit of adventure is still apparent today. Andrewjohn’s wife, Eleni, a geologist and trained horticulturalist, finds the gardens inspiring. She comments “This has always been an experimental garden, a place to try new plants. Borde Hill is constantly changing and looking to the future.”

Whilst our plant collecting might necessarily be on a more modest scale than Andrewjohn’s grandfather the Plant Fair provides a wonderful opportunity to add rare and beautiful new stock with specialist nurseries including: Plantbase, Hardy Cottage Garden Plants, Phoenix Plants, Clare’s Chillies, Mrs Mitchell’s Kitchen Garden, and Chailey Iris Garden attending. The Sussex branch of the Hardy Plant Society will be there too.

The Coronation Sunday Plant Fair to be held at Borde Hill Gardens

HM King Charles III has long understood that Gardens are places of blessing, invitation, hospitality and encounter for us and for nature.

Borde Hill’s displays are wonderful in the late spring, early summer and there will be much to delight alongside the Plant Fair. Eleni says “There are two beautiful new designs to see by multiple RHS gold medal winner Chris Beardshaw for the Italian Garden and Paradise Walk. The Azalea Ring will be a kaleidoscope of colour with the deciduous Kurume and Knapp Hill azaleas – flowering rhododendrons are dotted around the garden. The woodland will be carpeted with bluebells and anemones plus many flowering trees like Davidia involucrata.”

Borde Hill’s gardens bless you. As you walk your conversations cannot fail to be informed by the beauty of the place. And there is plenty to inspire the keen horticulturist whether it’s the rare species, the subtle effects of the planting, or the floral compositions before you.

Borde Hill Garden is the perfect Coronation Sunday destination.

The Coronation Plant Fair will be held at Borde Hill Gardens, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1XP on Sunday 7th May 2023. You can buy tickets on the day, or in advance. For more information visit www.bordehill.co.uk or telephone 01444 450326.

Foraging and Halloween at Borde Hill

Head of Horticulture at Borde Hill Garden and Parkland, Harry Baldwin

As autumn approaches the change of season always seems to bring a burst of golden light and where better to enjoy this than Borde Hill gardens.

This week I am in the generous company of Borde Hill’s current custodians, Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke and his wife Eleni.

The gardens at Borde Hill were first laid out by Andrewjohn’s great grandfather, Colonel Stephenson R. Clarke. He purchased the house and land in 1893. Between 1893 and 1937 he sponsored many of the Great Plant Collectors’ expeditions. They returned with rare specimens brought back from their travels in the Himalayas, China, Burma, Tasmania and the Andes. Many of these plant species are still at the heart of the collection which make up the seventeen acres of formal gardens.

This spirit of adventure is still apparent today. Eleni, a geologist and trained horticulturalist, admits that it is the gardens which most inspire her. She says “This has always been an experimental garden, a place to try new plants. Borde Hill is constantly changing and looking to the future.”

We walk out into the gardens in search of Head of Horticulture at Borde Hill Garden and Parkland, Harry Baldwin, and find him tending a border filled with vibrant colour, texture and movement. His enthusiasm for the collection and gardens is infectious. He and his team are busily preparing for a series of autumn events.

This coming Saturday morning, 8th October, Sussex Forager Sarah Watson will lead a guided woodland foraging walk through Borde Hill’s Warren Wood so you can find out how to use autumnal shoots, roots, seeds and fruits as flavourings in your dishes and drinks; and how to forage responsibly and safely, identifying edible plants and fungi. Sarah will also be giving tips on how to use foraged fare in delicious recipes, as well as a chance to try some wild preserves like vinegars and syrups.

Half-term at Borde Hill provides a week of activities centred on Halloween with trails, prizes and adventure for budding young Ghost Hunters and their families. The Ghost Hunters will have to answer riddles, solve clues and navigate ghost ships as fast as they can to solve the secret of the hauntings for poor Sir Haunt-A-Lot and Miss Crimson Nightshade in her mysterious library! And if your little Ghost Hunters still have energy to spare after that then there’s always the Adventure Playground and the Gardener’s Retreat Café with its autumn treats.

To find out more and to book your tickets visit www.bordehill.co.uk/events.

The Bank Holiday at Borde Hill

The vibrant Mid-Summer Border at Borde Hill Garden

This week I am returning to Borde Hill Garden near Haywards Heath to enjoy the vibrant summer borders and the 20th Anniversary Sculpture Exhibition. I am met by Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke whose great grandfather purchased the house in 1893 and created the now Grade II* listed gardens and important plant collections.

Andrewjohn says “Borde Hill has always been an experimental garden to try new plants. The first of these were brought back by plant hunters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

This spirit of adventure is alive and well under the stewardship of Andrewjohn and his wife Eleni. This is apparent in the Round Dell garden. Its contemporary design has at its centre a thin, tapering path defined by low concrete walls which leads you through the rich foliage and planting. Amongst these are a number of exciting new specimens found by contemporary plan hunters, including varieties of Schefflera, and unusual evergreens like Daphniphyllum macropodum.

I love the strong summer colours at Borde Hill. The Mid-Summer Border, just off the South lawn, delights with its vibrant coloured perennials, grasses and shrubs.
The garden reveals itself as a series of rooms. The sculptures compliment the planting and vistas allowing us to see the garden in new ways.

Devon based artist Zoe Singleton’s sculpture ‘The Turning Tide’ carved from Kilkenny Fossil Stone at Borde Hill

My eye is taken by a sculpture by the Devon based artist, Zoe Singleton who works predominately in stone natural to the British Isles. It is titled ‘The Turning Tide’ and is carved from Kilkenny Fossil Stone. It sits dramatically on its Larch plinth against the backdrop of Borde Hill’s 200 acres of parkland and woodland. The rhythm and movement of the shoal of fish seems to be echoed in the landscape.

Writing about her work Zoe has said ‘My work is frequently described as “poetic and lyrical”, garden sculpture being inspired by my love of gardening as well as the dramatic coastline of the South West and the rugged geology of Dartmoor which has a continued presence in my work.’ Her words resonate with Borde Hill Garden.

The lives of Andrewjohn and Eleni Stephenson Clarke are bound to this place and the garden in a very personal way. Their forward looking stewardship ensures that the past is valued and preserved but that the garden is constantly evolving and changing in a very contemporary way.

Why not enjoy the art and this beautiful garden in the company of family and friends this coming August Bank Holiday weekend. There is plenty for children to enjoy including an adventure playground. The 20th Anniversary Sculpture Exhibition runs until the 30th September. For more information on opening times and forthcoming events go to www.bordehill.co.uk or telephone 01444 450326.

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.

The Perfect Sussex Indian Summer Destination

As September approaches the change of season always seems to bring an Indian summer to Sussex and where better to enjoy this last burst of light and warmth than Borde Hill gardens.

This week I am in the generous company of Borde Hill’s current custodians, Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke and his wife Eleni.

We pause in front of a new vibrant border filled with colour, texture and movement as Eleni enthuses “People love colour today.”

Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke in the Rose Garden at Borde Hill

The established gardens, too, are constantly being renewed. We find Andrewjohn in the Rose Garden admiring a David Austin Summer Song rose which is a particular favourite of theirs. The colours of the roses are resplendent as though in a painting and to the fore is a wonderful carved Portland stone sculpture, titled Rose Bud, by the artist Will Spankie. For many years the gardens have been complemented by an annual exhibition of contemporary sculpture. All the work is for sale and the sculpture trail adds life and fresh perspectives to the gardens.

Rose Bud sculpture by artist Will Spankie in the Rose Garden

We come upon the timeless Italian garden. The summer clouds are reflected in the water amongst the lilies with such depth that it is as though the sky and the water are united. Andrewjohn and Eleni’s vision and attention to detail have brought new life to the disciplined symmetry of this garden. You can for a moment believe that you are in a little bit of Italy.

The lives of Andrewjohn and Eleni Stephenson Clarke are bound to this place and the gardens in a very personal way. Their forward looking stewardship ensures that the past is valued and preserved but that the gardens are constantly evolving and changing in a very contemporary way.

Borde Hill Gardens is the perfect Indian summer destination. The gardens and contemporary sculpture exhibition remain open until 2nd October 2017 at Borde Hill Gardens, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1XP, For more information on opening times and forthcoming events go to www.bordehill.co.uk or telephone 01444 450326.

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.