Argyll and Bute will hold its first rhododendron festival this spring as part of a new marketing campaign supported by VisitScotland.
The Glorious Gardens of Argyll and Bute, the group which this month celebrates its 20th anniversary, has been awarded £12,202 through the national tourism organisation’s growth fund to help highlight the stunning range of flowers and plants which thrive in the region’s exotic microclimate.
The members range from An Cala on the small Isle of Seil south of Oban, on the other side of the famous “the Bridge over the Atlantic”, to the 120-acre Benmore Botanic Garden in Dunoon, which boasts more than 300 types of rhododendron and more than a third of the world’s hardy conifer species.
Group secretary, Sue Thornley, who owns Glenarn garden near Helensburgh with her husband Mike, said: “The range and variety of plants that flourish in the mild, moist climate and acid soils of Argyll and Bute is truly amazing.
“These plants come from every corner of the globe, from the Himalayas, north and south America and even from Australia and New Zealand.
“This award from the VisitScotland growth fund, match-funded by the group, will allow us to increase public awareness of this region’s remarkable heritage of world-class gardens and plants.
“We are also going to run our first Festival of Rhododendrons in April and May.
“This is something which, like the Scottish Snowdrop Festival, we hope will be an annual fixture in the horticultural calendar.”
The marketing campaign also includes a revamp of the group’s website, the design and printing of special leaflets with itineraries and attendance at a number of trade shows, including Best of Britain and Ireland in Birmingham this week and VisitScotland expo in Aberdeen from April 22-23.
David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland’s regional director for Argyll, said: “Argyll and Bute really does boast some of the most beautiful gardens in the country, and I am delighted that this award from the VisitScotland growth fund will help the group to raise its profile.
“I am sure that their new campaign will encourage even more visitors to the region, with the Festival of Rhododendrons set to be a particular highlight.”
VisitScotland research has shown that, every year, nearly 700,000 British holidaymakers visit a Scottish park or garden as part of their trip, with a further 35,000 coming to Scotland with the express purpose of sampling the country’s horticultural delights.