The beautiful blooming Rhododendrons of Ray Wood, our woodland garden, have scooped top place at RHS Harlow Carr’s annual Rhododendron Show.

Winning 8 out of 13 possible first prizes and several other places were some of the collection’s finest blooms. A perfect head of the Himalayan Rhododendron hodgsonii, an arrangement of rhododendron foliage and trios of red-flowering specimens were among the winners.

Dr John Grimshaw, Director of the Yorkshire Arboretum which maintains the collection with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers, said ‘Showing these beautiful flowers helps us celebrate the hard-earned restoration of this exceptional garden, which has enabled the plants to flourish once more.’

A wide range of rhododendron species varying in foliage, size and flower are currently in bloom in the botanical garden; among them are specimens collected by the great plant hunters of the early 20th Century which are just part of an exceptional plant collection.

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