Rhododendron Valley
Trebah’s rhododendrons take centre stage in spring. By late March and into April, the whole valley is full of rhododendron flower; Trebah has literally hundreds of specimens, ranging from the ‘home grown’ Trebah Gem with its soft pink blooms, to the mighty Himalayan tree rhododendrons, such as R .arboreum. The magnificent ‘Glory of Penjerrick’, a rhododendron with possibly the deepest pink flower of all to the delicate Indian R. nuttallii with its fragrant, pale yellow, lily-like flowers. You can well understand why a hundred years ago, villagers from Mawnan Smith used to describe a walk through Trebah as ‘coming up paradise’.
Rhododendron 'Trebah Gem' was originally planted at Trebah by Head Gardener Harry Thomas in 1900.
Facts about Rhododendron Valley
- Many of Trebah’s Rhododendron arboreum are over 130 yrs old and continue to flower magnificently each spring
- Our R. sinogrande has enormous leaves (approx. 60cm long) and creamy white flowers in huge trusses
- New collections of big leaved Rhodos have recently been planted to ensure the garden evolves
- Some of the Rhodos are highly scented
