Wester Ross 'woodland wonders' are growing attraction as unique garden launches Erythronium Festival
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A STUNNING floral display is the star attraction at a Wester Ross garden's latest festival which runs for the next eight days.
The National Trust for Scotland’s Inverewe Gardens this week launched its third annual Erythronium Festival, showcasing one of the UK’s most extraordinary collections of rare flowers.
The festival aims to give people the chance to celebrate and discover the woodland glories of one of Scotland’s most unique gardens.
Every mid-April, the erythroniums flower, with the dainty bell-shaped blossoms transforming the garden with their elegance and colour.
Inverewe is the only place in the UK where people can see so many of the little buds in all of their glory.
To mark the occasion, NTS staff at the gardens have organised the festival which will include guided walks and talks from the Inverewe gardeners and Ian Young, a world expert on the genus Erythronium.
Kevin Ball, head gardener, will also lead visitors on a tour of Inverewe. He said: "The flowering of erythronium revolutum is a unique experience and you will not see a sight like this anywhere in the UK. It is beautiful and these little flowers bring elegance and colour to the spring succession of rhododendron, azalea and flowering bulbs that we have here.
"We are looking forward to welcoming Ian to Inverewe and he will be passing on his advice on the best conditions and methods to allow people to let erythroniums flourish in their own gardens.”
Visitors will also have the chance to take in the garden’s unrivalled collection of rhododendron, which are now in full bloom. They will also be able to see the extraordinary array of flowers and plants that thrive here, where the Gulf Stream meets the Scottish Highlands.
The garden also includes towering Giant Redwoods and is a prime location to spot Scotland’s so-alled "big five": Red squirrels, red deer, otters, seals and golden eagles.
The Erythronium Festival continues until April 28.
There is a walk and talk with Ian Young at 2pm on Monday, April 22 and gardener, Kevin Doidge, will also lead a tour and talk on April 25 at 2pm.
All events at the festival are free of charge with garden entry fee, which is free to National Trust for Scotland members.
To find out more about visiting Inverewe visit: http://bit.ly/Inverewe
