So yes I should have been revising for finals but the weather was beautiful and the timing was perfect so we decided a trip to Exbury would be the perfect way to spend a sunny April Sunday. Exbury is a Rothschild Estate near the town of Exbury in the New Forest and is home to the a massive collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
The trip down took us about one and half hours…. slightly longer due to a mishap with the speedometer on the M3. Once there we spent a wonderful few hours wandering through the drifts of colour and under huge mature Rhododendrons in full flower. One of the most exceptional Rhododendrons that we saw was called ‘Fortune’ and is R. falconeri × R. sinogrande. The plants were mainly in mature groups standing at more or less 15-20 ft (this is a bit of a guesstimate) and were stunning with their large dark leaves and clusters of cream flowers.
The state of flowering at Exbury was definitely at its peak last weekend and I would definitely recommend a visit to any one who fancies a nice walk in stunning surroundings. Visit Exbury’s website for more information.
R. falconeri_ × _R. sinogrande "Fortune"
