Spring spectacular at Borde Hill Garden

Art and Nature will combine to welcome visitors to Borde Hill Garden, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex in May, when a special exhibition of some of the UK’s finest outdoor sculptures will feature against the vibrant backdrop of the Garden.

This year sees the 20th anniversary of the Garden’s annual Sculpture Exhibition, which opens on the 10th May and will run until 30th September. Borde Hill is renowned for its collection of azaleas, rhododendrons and large flowering trees which will be in full bloom in May and June so visitors will be able to experience the beauty of art against the delights of a spring awakened garden.

Visitors can stroll through 17 acres of stunning gardens and view over 80 carefully selected sculptural pieces including a towering kinetic Wind Sculpture by Will Carr, that will twist and turn in the breeze in front of the Elizabethean Mansion. Wandering further into the garden rooms, visitors will encounter ‘Icarus I’ by Nicola Godden, (pictured left) a striking winged figure commissioned for the London 2012 Olympic Village. The mythological theme continues with ‘Narcissus’ by Teresa Wells, a figurative bronze inspired by the boy who fell in love with his own reflection.

Borde Hill boasts a magnificent collection of specimen spring flowering trees which will provide their own sculptural beauty, including an 80 year old Kornus kousa (Chinese Dogwood) and a Davidia involucrate (Pocket Handkerchief tree). In the Italian Garden, 300 Fritllaria imperialis ‘Rubra’ will continue the spring spectacular while the Woodland will be carpeted with giant rhododendrons and a carpet of bluebells.

Borde Hill was purchased by Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke in 1893 with the express intention of creating a magnificent garden. An enthusiastic collector, Colonel Stephenson Clarke was one of the sponsors of the great plant hunters of the early 1900s. He filled his garden with rich and diverse trees and shrubs from all corners of the world including China, Tibet, Burma and South America.

For details of opening times etc please visit: www.bordehill.co.uk

Picture credits: Banner ©Borde Hill, Credit: Derek St-Romaine; Icarus ©Borde Hill.