Press release -
All rhododendrons lead to Scotland
Gardens and horticultural businesses throughout Scotland are set to take part in a nationwide celebration of Scotland’s “second national flower” – the rhododendron.
Organised by Discover Scottish Gardens and supported for the first time this year by VisitScotland, the Scottish Rhododendron Festival begins this weekend and will run until 31 May. It will incorporate a number of existing festivals and events as well as highlight other public spaces where visitors can enjoy the spectacular blooms.
Coming hot on the heels of the increasingly popular Scottish Snowdrop Festival, the Scottish Rhododendron Festival will include public gardens, castle grounds and estates from Dumfries & Galloway up to the Highlands.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye and the National Trust for Scotland’s Branklyn Garden in Perthshire are some of the top visitor attractions taking part.
A host of gardens in the west of Scotland that make up the Glorious Gardens of Argyll & Bute, including Benmore Botanic Garden, Glenarn, Arduaine and Ardkinglas Gardens, are also participating.
The festival was launched by the Glorious Gardens of Argyll & Bute in 2015. After a successful first year, Discover Scottish Gardens extended the festival across the country and, in 2017, nearly 60 Scottish sites, including public and private gardens, are taking part. They will be offering horticultural events, guided tours and exclusive openings in celebration of this exotic Asian spring shrub that thrives so well in Scotland.
From the ancient Greek for “rose” and “tree”, there are more than 1,000 species of rhododendron, which are famous for their vibrant colours. More than half of the participants are opening their gardens to raise money for national charity organisation Scotland’s Gardens.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “Given the enormous popularity of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival over the last decade, it is only natural that our magnificent public gardens should celebrate the rhododendron. We hope people of all ages will be inspired to get out and about to enjoy these colourful, vibrant flowers around some of Scotland’s most stunning gardens and estates.
“Many of the Scottish Rhododendron Festival locations are within the grounds of some of Scotland’s most historic buildings. Such buildings are a perfect fit for Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. From World Heritage sites to ancient monuments, cultural traditions to our myths, stories and legends, the year-long programme will shine the spotlight on our greatest assets and icons, as well as our hidden gems.”
Kenneth Cox, gardener, plant hunter and rhododendron specialist at Glendoick Gardens in Perth, said: “This year’s rhododendron season is off to a great start with many gardens full of rhododendron colour already.
“Some might say the rhododendron is Scotland’s second national flower. Although they don’t originate in Scotland, rhododendrons are very much at home here. In fact Scotland is one of the places where woodland gardening with rhododendrons was invented. Hundreds of spectacular species thrive here and create stunning displays.
“Some of the most stunning displays can be found in the North at Inverewe and Attadale Gardens, Central Scotland boasts Glendoick Gardens and Branklyn, while the south has Dawyck, Glenwhan, Castle Kennedy and Logan. That said, spectacular collections can be seen the length and breadth of the country.”
Many of the rhododendron sites across Scotland are members of Discover Scottish Gardens, which launched in 2015 with help from the VisitScotland Growth Fund. The organisation aims to put Scottish gardens, nurseries and garden related businesses on the tourism map and to showcase the nation’s outstanding horticulture and plant diversity. For more information, visit www.discoverscottishgardens.org.
To see the full list of participating gardens in the Scottish Rhododendron Festival, go to www.visitscotland.com/bloom
Topics
- Tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
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- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
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- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
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- 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
