From swathes of vivid blue poppies in summer to specialist snowdrop displays in winter, the Garden is continually changing throughout the seasons.
Spring
Visitors to the Garden in spring cannot miss the rhododendron collection, from the dwarf alpine species in the Rock Garden to the larger species growing in the Upper and Lower Woodland and Rhododendron Copse. Wake robbins (trilliums) appear in abundance – look for Trillium grandiflorum and Trillium chloropetalum. In late spring the Japanese magnolia (Magnolia kobus) blooms throughout the Garden and hellebores make a welcome appearance.
Summer
The Herbaceous Border is a mass of colour in the height of summer. The striking Rosa 'Golden Jubilee' can be found in the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden, while the many bulbs of Cardiocrinum giganteum can throw up statuesque flower spikes every five to seven years to ensure there will always be a fine display in early summer. Swathes of the Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis Slieve Donard) enjoy the cool woodland while Sutherlandia frutescens from southern Africa displays its striking red flowers at the Alpine House.
Autumn
The scarlet apples on Malus pumila 'Dartmouth' are some of the vibrantly coloured fruits that can be found on the Chinese Hillside. Bright pink Nerine bowdenii enjoys the autumn sun by the Glasshouses, while Schizstylus coccinea cultivars can be seen displaying their flowers in the Rock Garden. Flowers of colchicums, the so-called autumn crocus, make a brief but exuberant appearance around the Garden. The katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) fills the air with the smell of burnt sugar by the Pond lawns and other areas of the Garden.
Winter
Bright red and green stems of Cornus stolonifera 'Faviramea' and Salix alba 'Britzensis' glow in the clear light. The Herbaceous Border is a favourite for seed-eating birds, and seed heads glisten in the early sun of a frosty morning. On the Birch Lawn, pale yellow catkins of European hazel (Corylus avellana) are a hint that spring is on its way and snowdrops form a carpet below the trees from as early as January.
