What’s looking good at RHS Rosemoor?

Nothing beats rhododendrons and azaleas for their sensational colour at this time of year. In the Woodland Garden, evergreen azaleas create a tapestry of brilliant hues, with Rhododendron ‘Purple Triumph’, ‘Princess Juliana’ and ‘Beethoven’ each vying for attention. Normally short in stature, they tower above you on the terraces, as cheerful native woodland plants including wild primroses, wood anemones and bluebells smother the banks. This fusion of plants from opposite sides of the globe looks surprisingly at home on a Devon valley slope.

Rhododendrons were a passion of Rosemoor’s former owner Lady Anne, and some of those in the older parts of the garden are her original plantings. A beautiful specimen on the driveway was bred by her great friend Collingwood Ingram and is named after her. It has wonderful pink flower trusses and is just one of the many diverse rhododendrons across the garden – there are more than 400 different varieties to discover at RHS Rosemoor.

The Stream Garden is a delight at this time of year – a mix of lush, young foliage and pops of flower colour from moisture-loving plants. Drifts of dreamy blue camassias delight at the start of the month, and majestic ferns come to the fore displaying their fresh green fronds. The bronze foliage of Rodgersia unfurls, making a beautiful colour combination with the vivid, dark pink flowers of candelabra primula Primula pulverulenta. The naturalistic planting scheme, along with the sound of trickling water, is wonderfully calming.

Wisteria bring pure elegance to the garden in late spring, with their long, cascading flower clusters in shades of purple, mauve or white. Our pride and joy is the Wisteria sinensis ‘Prolific’ trained up Rosemoor House. It’s intensely fragrant and a magnet for bees, and flowers relatively early in this sunny spot. As spring rolls into summer, seek out other Wisteria specimens in bloom on the Alpine Terrace and by the Welcome building.

It’s apple blossom season! RHS Rosemoor is home to around 120 apple cultivars that light up the landscape with clouds of pink and white blossom in mid to late spring. In the South West and Devon Orchards, discover apple trees that perform well in the southwest climate, as well as heritage cultivars local to Devon. Nearby, in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden, see spectacular trained fruit trees clothed in blossom – the garden offers a wealth of ideas for growing fruit trees in limited space and beautiful ways.

In the romantic Cottage Garden the flowering season starts with joyful displays of spring bulbs. From April into May, tulips take their turn to shine, bringing dazzling colour to pots and borders. We use just one type of tulip per pot to create impact. Cultivars include dark and moody Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’, ‘Salmon Impression’ and pure white ‘Honeymoon’ with its lovely fringed petals. Early-flowering plants, such as purple Hesperis matronalis (dame’s violet), provide welcome food for emerging butterflies and bumblebees.

Our wildflower meadows peak in early summer and are teeming with insect life at this time of year. Pollinators are attracted to the delightful flowers of buttercups, wild southern marsh orchids, ox-eye daisies, knapweed and ragged robin, which sway among the sweet-smelling grasses. Much of Lady Anne’s Arboretum is grown as meadow, and in May is filled with the white spires of naturalised Camassia leichtlinii subsp. leichtlinii. Wander through the meadows on mown paths and take in the beautiful Devon countryside.

The Mediterranean Garden comes to life this month with a dazzling display of blooms. Cercis chinensis ‘Avondale’ and C. chingii are smothered in bright purple-pink flowers that pop next to the sunshine-yellow blooms of Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca. The abundant flowers of Cytisus (brooms) bring more colour, including Cytisus × praecox ‘Albus’, forming a cloud of white flowers in mid to late spring. Sunny days bring out the aromatic oils from rosemary, lavender and Santolina foliage, transporting you to warmer climes.

Alliums provide the first flush of colour in the Hot Garden this month, their pompons swaying in the breeze above emerging herbaceous perennials and grasses. Splashes of vibrant colour from bright orange Helianthemum ‘Henfield Brilliant’ and Geum ‘Dolly North’ are a sign of things to come.