Limited time to visit garden attraction

Limited time to visit garden attraction

» 9th March 2010 «

Garden owners looking for inspiration from the UK's horticultural attractions only have a limited amount of time to visit a much-loved venue.

The rhododendron and camellia collections at West Sussex's Leonardslee are set to close later this year.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the garden attraction will close after more than a century of being open to the public following its sale to an international businessman.

Manager Thomas Loder was philosophical about the changes afoot, explaining that gardens are supposed to "evolve" and that the new owner will likely develop the land to suit his own tastes.

The site has been run by the Loder family for over 100 years and contains many species planted by founder Sir Edmund Loder, who created the current landscape in 1889.

Leonardslee features 25 Champion Trees including an Acer pseudoplatanus Prinz Handjery and a Prunus Serulata Alba-plena.

Garden lovers have from April 1st to June 30th to visit the site.

Meanwhile, the RHS recently revealed that a Cornish garden attraction has been expanded to become the largest collection of daffodils in Europe.