The gardens at Muncaster Castle in the Lake District have proved to be an unexpected success on the internet, not just in Britain but even as far way as Hungary.
A film made about the gardens has now been viewed more than 2,200 times on a Hungarian gardening website, as well being watched nearly 4,000 times here in the UK.
The film shows Muncaster famous gardens in the spring when they are a riot of colour with the rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias in full bloom. It includes interviews with Patrick Gordon-Duff-Pennington and Peter Frost-Pennington whose family own Muncaster as well Head Gardener Jason Haine.
The new flower festival will be springing into life at Muncaster over the May bank holiday weekend (1st to 4th May). The Feast of Flowers is being launched to celebrate this special time of year at the Castle, when the flowers provide an extraordinary splash of colour. Visitors will be able to enjoy four days of flower fun and activities including cookery demonstrations with flowers, walks and talks and a competition to find Cumbria’s Master Gardeners.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the west Lakes fells, Muncaster’s Gardens attract visitors from all over the world. The hilly terrain and a climate softened by the nearby Irish Sea, makes Muncaster perfect for growing trees and shrubs from the Himalayas.
Rhododendrons were first planted there around 1840 and now include swathes of spectacular species such as Rh. Aboreum which varies in colour from pure white to blood red.
Eric Robson says: “Muncaster’s gardens are a jewel in the crown of Lakeland’s mountains. "From its miles of tree lined avenues and drifts of rhododendrons there are incomparable views of the southwestern fells. Perfect in spring, glorious throughout the year, they’re a reminder of a lost age of gardening on the grand scale.”
Winner of the Cumbria for Excellence Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2006, Muncaster in Ravenglass is a host of attractions in one. There's the Castle, a World Owl Centre and a MeadowVole Maze as well as the outstanding gardens.
To watch the video and find out more about the new festival go to www.muncaster.co.uk/gardens.
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