What to see in the garden on your next visit:

The warm weather of the last week has been very welcome and we are starting to see flowering cherries and many magnolias coming into bloom.

The Heather Beds on the way to Home Wood are providing  excellent displays of colour from both the flowers of the various heathers and foliage of the conifers.

From the Home Wood main path to Top Pond look out for the very large flowering Magnolia campbelliis from the Himalayas with large pink flowers – they are nearing the end of their flowering season, so be quick to capture the pink blooms against a blue sky. Close by is a very good specimen of Rh. ‘Choremia’ with deep red flowers. At the bottom end of this walk Rhododendron ‘Red Admiral’ is putting on a good show of colour. Look out too for ‘Androcles’,
‘Jocelyne’ and ‘Robin Hood.’

The Winter Garden on the way to the View Point has some interesting large leaved Rhododendrons and lots of the early flowering varieties beginning to flower. Look out for Rh. ‘Seta’, Rh. ‘Quaver’, Rh. scabrifolia the larger leaved Rh arboreum and red flowering Rh strigillosum.

The New Camellia Walk is beginning to look good with several  varieties of Camellia now flowering at their best. These camellias are interplanted with magnolias which provide a good contrast and are also full of bloom.

Several small leaved Pieris are flowering in Yard Wood from the Rock Garden to the American Garden.

Lots of Primroses are now flowering in the gardens but especially in Yard Wood above the Jubilee Pond and in swathes throughout the Home Wood. Don’t miss the island full of primroses in Bottom Pond.

Close to the Wiggly Tree you will find concentrations of Fritillaria meleagris, snake’s head fritillaries; purple and white varieties.

Of course, the Daffodil Meadow will remain a highlight of your visit to Exbury, the late flowering this year should ensure a good show until late in the month.

With the Gardens coming into bloom don’t forget to also visit the Five Arrows Gallery to see some superb examples of botanical art from the Four Seasons Group – the exhibition runs until early June.

Keen photographers should look out for our PhotoTrek on Thursday 29 April – the Gardens should be full of colour by the end of the month, so don’t miss this opportunity to capture Exbury on film with the experts.

Enjoy your visit to the Gardens.

John Anderson
Head Gardener