Magnolia display and Easter event at Borde Hill Garden

The listed garden, near Haywards heath, will have Bertram Bunny’s Easter Pirate Adventure running from Friday, April 2, to Saturday, April 17, while the magnolias will be on show all season.

There will be pirate-themed fun and nature-filled discoveries - spot the signs of spring whilst exploring the garden on the Easter trail.

Children can join Bertram Bunny on a fantasy Easter Island story, seeking out the treasure hidden by Jumping Jack Bunny returned from the high seas.

Find all the treasures in the pictures and solve some puzzles along the way to receive a treat.

Children can also let off steam in the adventure playground, where they can swing, climb, balance and slide their way through a series of equipment, including a thrilling zip wire for the most adventurous.

Prices are £3 per trail, plus admission to include a prize (free to members), and advance booking is required.

Fuel up for your adventures with a delicious Easter-themed treat from the Gardeners’ Retreat café, or let off steam in the adventure playground.

If you want to see the magnolias, then the magnolia cambpellii with its more than 60 foot height is an amazing display seen for miles.

Due to Covid-19 there will not be any guided tours this year but there is a self-guided tour so you can explore them.

Many of them are of significant historical and botanical importance as they are the original plants collected by the great plant hunters of the early 1900s, which were planted over 90 years ago by the garden’s founder Colonel Stephenson R Clarke, and continue to flower with dramatic beauty each year.

Plant collectors include E.N. Wilson, George Forrest and Frank Kingdon Ward.

The magnolia is one of the oldest and most primitive of all flowering plants.

The flower, which has decorated Chinese porcelain and featured in paintings and tapestries throughout the centuries, is regarded as a symbol of purity.

While most magnolias flower in the spring before the leaves appear, Borde Hill’s collection of many species extend the flowering period into the summer months.

Jim Gardiner, RHS vice president and magnolia expert, said that when the plant hunter Frank Kingdon Wald came across M campbellii he described it as ‘a fleet of pink waterlilies lying at anchor in a sea of surf’.

Many of the magnolias in the garden are listed as ‘champion’ trees of the British Isles.

To find out more about Borde Hill Garden, and to book tickets for events and day visits, visit www.bordehill.co.uk