Stonefield superlatives

Another glorious day without a cloud in the sky! I went to to Stonefield Castle, near Tarbert, today as I do some advisory work in the garden there. The woman in charge, who is not a gardener but an ex-receptionist, would put some gardeners to shame with her enthusiasm and keenness to learn.

Today we've been trying to identify rhododendrons, some of which date from original Hooker introductions from the Himalayas in the middle of the 19th century - many are huge, such as this Rhododendron arboreum, which must be more than 40ft high. The garden is around 65 acres and has not been properly looked after for a long time - quite amazing. It ought to be a National Treasure - or does that only apply to people!