Memory can be a strange thing: sometimes I’m not sure whether I remember episodes from childhood because I have seen photographs of them, or because they are real ‘direct’ memories. We have various photos of family visits to the gardens at Stody Lodge but once I was back in the gardens yesterday for the first time since childhood I was struck by that powerful and resonant perfume of rhododendron and azalea blossom. It’s a unique and beautiful scent. And I remembered sitting under a particular tree as a seven year old: that’s something to do with experience of place rather than images. The gardens @stodylodgegardens are open every spring for visitors to experience the riot of colour when the rhododendrons come into bloom. Once the home of Viscount Rothermere (of the Daily Mail), it is now a private family estate but the gardens are opened to raise vast sums for various causes. It hosts something like 2000 varieties of rhododendron. The cold, wet spring has meant it is a very late season this year, but delighted they added extra dates that meant we could enjoy this spectacle. #stodylodgegardens #gardens #rhododendrons #stodylodge (at Stody Lodge Gardens) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPfVzChlghG/?utm_medium=tumblr
