All rhododendrons lead to Glendoick

THE camellia in my front garden is in flower, its branches smothered in lipstick pink blooms.

It has double, not semidouble flowers, so it can’t be ‘Donation’, but it is lovely and I’ve taken cuttings that are now in the greenhouse.

Someone who could tell me what kind of camellia I have is Kenneth Cox, one of Scotland’s most illustrious plantsmen.

He’s a rhododendron breeder, third generation nurseryman and intrepid plant hunter. His garden at Glendoick near Perth is famous for its collection of rare plants from remote slopes of places such as Tibet and Burma.

At this time of the year Glendoick is enchanting, filled with a froth of colour from flowering trees and shrubs and carpeted with an understorey of jewel-like flowers.

It was here that Kenneth’s grandfather, Euan, planted seeds he’d discovered on expeditions with the renowned plant collector, Reginald Farrer, and here too that his father, Peter, went on to establish the nursery that now has an international reputation in rhododendron circles, so it is easy to see why Glendoick has proved to be such an inspiration.

Now Kenneth has shared his knowledge in a book, the first to explore a style of gardening that began in Britain.

Woodland Gardening, Landscaping With Rhododendrons, Magnolias And Camellias is an exploration of how new plant introductions from America and the Far East led to the creation of some of this country’s most iconic gardens and how the passion for acid-loving plants spread out across the globe.

It’s a sumptuous read, with enthralling details of how some of our great gardens were created and beautiful pictures of plants and gardens.

“Glendoick sits on acid clay in Perthshire, but most of the great woodland gardens in Scotland are further west,” Kenneth says.

Argyll is a hotspot, with places such as Brodick Castle on Arran, Ardkinglas, and Benmore Botanic Garden drawing visitors.

Go now while the rhododendrons are in flower, magnolia buds are perched on trees like exotic birds, and camellias are at their best and you can’t help but be thrilled.

Most of these gardens are on a grand scale, but creating something similar in a more modest space is possible, says Kenneth, if you pick your plants wisely.

I didn’t pick my plants, they were here when I arrived, but as well as camellias I have rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas, while wood anemones, bluebells, celandines and primroses grow under the fringes of trees and wild forgetme-nots have turned wide stretches of grass blue.

So I’ll be reading Kenneth’s book closely to find out what else I should plant.

He’ll be launching his book at Gardening Scotland 2018 but it is also available direct from Glendoick Nursery near Perth, priced £40 plus £10 for postage and packaging.

See glendoick.com