Rhododendron gardens open for last season
9 March 2010
One of the country's best-loved rhododendron and camellia gardens, Leonardslee in West Sussex, is to close after being bought by an international businessman.
The garden will open for one last season this year before closing its gates once the new owner takes up residence. The Loder family, who established the Grade I listed 90 ha (225 acre) garden and have opened it to the public for more than 100 years, decided to sell the property two years ago.
'Gardens evolve,' says Thomas Loder, who currently manages the gardens. 'They should never be made to always stay the same, and I am sure that future owners of Leonardslee will develop their own passions and enthusiasms to enhance the valley for future generations.'
Once described as 'one of the finest woodland gardens in England', Leonardslee has attracted praise and admiration for its rhododendron, camellia and azalea collections. They include dozens of Loderi group rhododendrons, the original seedlings planted by Victorian plant collector Sir Edmund Loder who developed the gardens to their current layout in 1889. Other remarkable specimens include several massive Rhododendron arboreum in the Dell dating back to the 1830s.
There are 25 Champion Trees recorded at Leonardslee: they include an Acer pseudoplatanus 'Prinz Handjery' and Prunus serrulata 'Alba-plena'. The garden also features seven lakes and a group of 40 wallabies which will be staying in the garden with the new owner.
Leonardslee will open as usual on 1 April to allow visitors one last chance to look around, before finally closing on 30 June.