Our most recent visit to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens was to take in the seasonal delight of the area of azaleas and rhododendrons. The arboretum covers a total of 180 acres and the walk from the entrance to see these beautiful blossoms is quite long. So we took advantage of a lift in one of two newly acquired buggies driven by Diane, a volunteer at Hilliers.
She told us that she works on Tuesdays driving a buggy but also on special days and, in addition, engages in stewarding. A special day this month is Gurkha Day.
from Hillier's website:
"Held annually since 1998 Gurkha Day is timed to see the national flower of Nepal, the rhododendron, at its best. Visit the Himalayan Valley at the Gardens where we have the Nepalese Garden. This feature is centred on a traditional resting place (Chautara) for porters on the mountain trails carrying goods on their backs in the typical conical wicker baskets (dhoka)."
I will be posting a few of the photos I took in the rhododendron garden, difficult sometimes to choose where to point the camera, the display is so colourful. I thanked Diane, for the lift and the portrait, and took her email to send a photo.
I'm looking forward to seeing your photos of the rhododendron Hazel.
They are such beautiful flowers but they won't grow in our soil or should I say sand .
They are such beautiful flowers but they won't grow in our soil or should I say sand .
We cannot grow them either - quite a lot of knowledge required to be a successful gardener, I think!