Glenarn in Spring

[TC]

Some pictures from Glenarn last Monday

[ian mcenery]

Great pictures Tom

We really will have to make an effort to come up north to see some of your great gardens

[TC]

A week later I have finally finished the rest of the pictures. I will post these in batches.  The first two are of a Rh.falconeri collected by Joseph Hooker in his expedition to Sikkim in 1849/50.  By this time the house and garden were about 10 years old.  There can't be a falconeri much older than this one. Other plants were introduced from plant hunting expeditions of Kingdon Ward and Ludlow and Sherriff.  After last seasons poor showing on the west coast, this year seems to be exceptional.  The absence of late frosts and ample moisture means that the blooms are lasting much longer.

[TC]

Next batch

[TC]

Final batch

[Maggi Young]

Fabulous plants and super pictures.... but isn't that R. falconeri truss portrait the most GORGEOUS thing??
I mean this one.....

[hadacekf]

Tom,
Your beautiful pictures brought back pleasant memories of my visit in 1969! Thank you!

[TC]

Fabulous plants and super pictures.... but isn't that R. falconeri truss portrait the most GORGEOUS thing??
I mean this one.....

Yes !!  I was most tempted to have it but I am too well mannered.  We had a talk with Sue Thornley as she was lugging wheelbarrows of compost up the garden.  The next project is to get the rock garden in order and then attack some of the larger rhoddies up at the top of the hill.  She reckoned that this is the best flowering season they have had for years.  If you look at picture 073, I took this as we sat under an osmanthus tree and hoovered in the perfume in the warm Spring sunshine.  It took a bit of an effort to get going again but we still had a visit to make to the Rennie MacIntosh Hill House in Helensburgh.
We ended up at the Lomond Shore complex eating ice cream by the banks of Loch Lomond.  We have had worse days!!

[Maggi Young]

I love the plants and it is a fine setting, but I do not envy Mike and Sue the work they have to do to keep the standard so high.
My little garden still hankers after a falconeri  like that, though!

Sounds like you and Cindy struggled through a really tough day, Tom! Still someone's got to, eh? 

[johnw]

The Rhododendron augustinii are fantastic, they must be ancient. And the falconeri leaves me speechless.

Thanks for the posting Tom.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Fabulous plants and super pictures.... but isn't that R. falconeri truss portrait the most GORGEOUS thing??
I mean this one.....

Like one of those little hairy white dogs with a pink bow in its topknot.

[Christina Fryle]

Wonderful pictures! And very inspiring for us as we are going to Glenarn on Monday. Hopefully your fast emerging spring will leave some flowering until then...

[TC]

Wonderful pictures! And very inspiring for us as we are going to Glenarn on Monday. Hopefully your fast emerging spring will leave some flowering until then...

If you have time, visit Geilston gardens, at Cardross.  This is about 10km from Glenarn and should have a wonderful display of bluebells by next Monday.
Here are a few pictures I took on the same day we went to Glenarn.

I presume that you have contacted Sue Thornley about your visit and arranged parking of your vehicle.  The road into the garden is very narrow and can only take two cars.

If there is anything else you want to know about the gardens in the west of Scotland you can give me an email and I will try to help or give you some up-to-date information.

[Lvandelft]

Thanks for posting Tom, both gardens are looking like good gardens to make a visit.
I hope to enjoy them some times "live" 

[Paul T]

Wow, on so many counts.  Again, a glorious display.  Thanks so much for taking the time to post the pics, Tom.  The Rh.falconeri is like nothing I've ever seen before.  Amazing!!