Rev John Moore nephew, Hugh Armytage Moore, who inherited the garden in 1903, was an avid plant collector and with the help of expert plant hunters (who often risked their lives seeking out these treasures) he developed the collection until his death in 1955.We are extremely lucky to have a huge range of diverse and unusual species here, ranging from the smallest almost bonsai to the tallest of trees.
Colour all year round
Rhododendrons can be seen flowering at Rowallane throughout the year, even when much of the garden is still in its winter sleep. The purple pink blooms of the delightful rhododendron mucronulatum stand out against the yellow walls of the house as early (or late) as December.
Look out for the gorgeous, creamy, waxy blooms of rhododendron macabeanum while you’re driving up the avenue. The delicately scented blooms of rhododendron ‘cilipinense’ and rhododendron moupinense dotted about the garden are a welcome sight in the early stages of spring.
We have a stunning display throughout the garden but particularly on the spring ground which lasts from early spring until late summer starting with the cool whites, pinks and mauves of the delicate rhododendron triflorums in the spring, through to the yellows, pinks and reds of the summer, many filling the air with their delicious fragrance.
Be sure to come along this spring and spot all the lovely pinks and whites that can be seen all throughout the garden this spring and summer.
Magnolia
The Magnolia belongs a very old family of plants which go back to the dinosaur era, the flowers encouraged beetles to pollinate them as bees had not evolved, some fossilised specimens show to be 20 million years old.
The structure of the flowers is extremely tough as you can imagine and their petals are actually known as tepals. They have a wide distribution with distinct types in Central and Eastern Asia, the Americas and West Indies.