Bowood Woodland Gardens

About Bowood Woodland Gardens

The earliest evidence of Rhododendrons being planted at Bowood is circa 1850. By then, Sir George Hooker and others were bringing plants back to England from Tibet, Nepal and Burma. So, it was the third Marquis of Lansdowne (1780 – 1863) who introduced Rhododendrons to Bowood. However, it was his Grandson (my Great Grandfather) who, on inheriting Bowood in 1866, at the age of 21, set about creating much of what you see now. Many of the hardy hybrids which he planted are extremely rare and unobtainable today. After my Great Grandfather’s death in 1927, this garden marked time until my father took it in hand during the late fifties. He extended the garden and introduced new hybrids, magnolias and a number of new species.In 1972 my father retired to Scotland. At that time, we lived in a nearby farmhouse built on Oxford clay. Being a devotee of ericaceous plants, I had tried to establish Rhododendrons and Azaleas on heavy, unsuitable soil. They survived, albeit reluctantly. On moving to Bowood, I transplanted them and opened up a new ride named after my eldest son, Simon. My wife and I have been planting ever since. Today, around a thousand species of Rhododendrons have been identified worldwide. From these thousands, more hybrids have been established. We have introduced broad-leafed species from The Island of Gigha, rare plants collected by Roy Lancaster on his 1979 expedition to China, Cornuses, Acers, Camellias and many more Magnolias.