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| Fortune Rhododendron - Click on the image above to see a larger photograph. Picture courtesy of Exbury Gardens. |
A fabulous Fortune rhododendron was one of the prizewinning blooms that helped Exbury Gardens sweep the board at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Spring Show in London this week.
The enormous bloom was a favourite of the Garden’s guiding spirit, Edmund de Rothschild – ‘Mr Eddy’ – who died at the age of 93 in January this year.
“The Fortunes are just bursting into bloom – they’ll be fantastic over the Easter holiday,” said head gardener John Anderson who confirmed that Exbury had taken 11 first prizes in the Rhododendron Classes and had retained the Alan Hardy Salver for best in class, which they have won for six out of the eight years since it was first awarded.
“Mr Eddy loved the Fortune Rhododendrons, which have the most enormous blooms, so when we saw that one had burst into bloom early, we entered it in the show, where it took a first prize,” said John.
Exbury also did well in the ornamental classes, taking seven first prizes and seven seconds for blossom, conifers and shrubs.
All the prizewinning plants are open in the Gardens now and may be seen over Easter as Exbury starts to come into its full glory.
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