Don’t be surprised if you see an old washing machine as you wander around Great Comp Gardens for its Spring Fling.

When Roderick Cameron designed the gardens, near Borough Green, with his wife Joy back in the 1950s, he strived for the theatrical, and also drew on his time in Italy during the Second World War.

The washing machine is among other unusual items included in the footings of The Tower, where tulips have also been artfully planted.

The follies are there to provide focal points for the planting, although a ruined cottage has fragments of 17th century windows incorporated into it.

Describing the Great Comp gardens, Roderick said: “To me anything open to the public should have an element of the theatrical.”

Visitors can also find a theatrical bust of Brutus from the historic Bargello in Florence hiding among the michaelmas daisies.

The hidden items also provide the perfect backdrop for the garden’s dramatic explosion of magnolias which bloom in April and are among more than 3,000 plants there.

There are snowdrops in February, flowering bulbs and magnolias in March and April and rhododendrons and azaleas round off the spring season. You can also see bluebells throughout April.

The garden is now open to the public seven days a week until the end of October.

The Spring Fling at Great Comp will open at 11am until 5pm on Sunday, April 10.

Entry is from £7. The event features many award-winning nurseries showcasing their plants.

Great Comp Garden is in Comp Lane, Platt, near Borough Green.

Details at greatcompgarden.co.uk