Getting the flags out: 200-acre Exbury Gardens to reopen to the public on Saturday 30 May
- Iconic New Forest woodland garden to reopen with special measures in place to keep visitors safe
- Revamped Iris Garden putting on a show plus early summer floral ‘wow’ in herbaceous borders and Centenary Garden
- Lots of open space and room to roam with over 20 miles of pathways
- Online ticket booking only with a daily visitor limit of 500 people and time slots for entering the gardens
One of the south’s most famous gardens, Exbury Gardens in the New Forest, will be reopening its gates to the public on Saturday (30 May). With 200 acres of stunning woodland landscape to explore and even some of its world-renowned rhododendrons still in bloom, Exbury will be welcoming visitors back just as its summer flower-power season kicks off.
Special measures will be in place to keep visitors safe including online ticket booking only, a daily visitor limit of 500 people, and time slots for entering the gardens, so arrivals can be staggered.
Visitors will be treated to a riot of plant colour in the herbaceous borders near Exbury House, the recently-opened Centenary Garden gearing up for its summer floral show, a revamped Iris Garden, a new Birch Walk, swathes of beautiful landscaped woodland, over 20 miles of meandering pathways, and even some of Exbury’s famous rhododendrons putting on their last blossom of the season.
Lionel de Rothschild, chairman of Exbury Gardens Trust, said: “We have 200 acres of space at Exbury filled with the most beautiful plants and trees that look absolutely spectacular at the start of the summer, and we’re so looking forward to sharing it with our visitors again. There’s lots of room to roam and experience nature at its best, and we’re putting special protective measures in place to keep everyone safe.”
To visit Exbury, visitors can book advance tickets online and choose an arrival time for their entry to the gardens. Toilets will be open and sanitised regularly, and refreshments and sandwiches will be available to purchase Wednesday-Sunday. Steam railway trains and guided buggy tours will not be operating. Full details on how to book and tips on visiting can be found at www.exbury.co.uk.
Created by Lionel de Rothschild in 1919, a passionate collector of plants and a keen supporter and sponsor of the early 20th century plant hunters, Exbury has grown to become a stunning garden paradise filled with rare plants, shrubs and trees. Its Centenary Garden, designed by Lionel’s great grand-daughter and RHS gold medal award-winning designer, Marie-Louise Agius, opened to the public last year.
“Over the last couple of months we’ve had fun sharing Exbury virtually over our social media channels but we can’t wait for the public to come back through the gates so they can experience the gardens first-hand and in all their glory,” said Marie-Louise, who has been posting images and video of the gardens during lockdown on Exbury’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds.
ENDS
For further information or images, contact PR Emma Mason on 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or Celise Galloway on 023 8024 5754 celise.galloway@exbury.co.uk
Notes for Editors:
Exbury Gardens, located in the New Forest near Southampton, is open daily until 1 November 2020 10am – 5.30pm. Full information at www.exbury.co.uk Thanks to its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, Exbury Gardens is famed for its riot of spring colour, as well as a vast array of beautiful, mature rare trees. Over recent years the Hampshire garden has been expanded for all-season interest with areas designed to show off summer and autumn ‘flower power’, as well as an extension of its 1 1/2-mile Rhododendron Line steam railway.