SPRING displays of rhododendrons are shaping up to be the best in a generation, according to the owners of one of Helensburgh and Lomond’s best-loved gardens.

Mike and Sue Thornley, from Glenarn in Rhu, say that the displays are the best in 35 years – a view backed up by a world expert on the ‘rhoddie’.

And while the ‘Beast from the East’ which struck the area in February and March of last year may not have brought much cheer at the time, Mike says the freak weather event of early spring 2018 may have had a role to play in the stunning displays now on show.

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“We don’t know if this is the result of global warming or a rare combination of weather events,” Mike said, “but something very unusual is happening and the results are truly amazing – a perfect storm of colour.”

And on a visit to Glenarn recently, Dr David Chamberlain, a world authority on the taxonomy of rhododendrons, echoed that view, saying he had not previously seen such flowering of plants in gardens on the west coast.

It’s believed the current displays at Glenarn are partly down to the big leaf species and hybrid tree rhododendrons which are unique to Glenarn – more than 50 of which are in flower at the same time – and partly due to the mild winter which means plants are coming into flower at least three weeks earlier than normal.

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Sue added: “We just want to tell people about this wonderful display. It is like the cherry blossom on the streets in Helensburgh – fantastically beautiful and then gone, in our case perhaps for the next 35 years. Please don’t miss it.”

Glenarn has supported the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme charities every year since 1939, and is open daily until September 21.

The garden is also home to a special open day on Sunday, April 28 from 2-5pm.