Rhododendron

Today I had my first trip out in four weeks. We visited a recently opened rhodondenrons nursery called Reuthes in Seal. It has an interesting history. The original owner , a young Jewish emigre from Germany, was a plant hunter and he bought the 11 acre hilly woodland site in 1902 and planted it with rhododenrons and azaleas and other rare plant species from his expeditions in China and the Himalayas.

Over the years the nursery became very run down and overgrown. Less than two years ago a former designer and plants man bought the site and is doing a wonderful job with his gardener of restoring it to it's original glory

We climbed the woodland paths and came across rare and unusual plants, most especially the beautifully lightly fraganced rhododendrons

There is an eco built cafe serving healthy food options and home made cakes. We sat outside under the cover of a beautiful blooming shrub.
We bought a lovely azalea called "Jolie Madame"
which will be replanted into a huge patio pot.

Reuthes organise lots of wellness activities, forest school activities for children, walks with two alpacas, yoga and meditation sessions. There are fire pits surrounded by log seating. Everything has been designed with the natural environment in mind.

The new owners have a lot of hard work to do and seem to be achieving a lot quite quickly. They do not charge a fee to visit their gardens and deserve the accolade "lost gardens of Sevenoaks".