THIS beautiful Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ is coming into flower along the recently restored Penjerrick Walk at Bodnant Garden.

The floral showstopper, at the National Trust historic garden and arboretum in the Conwy Valley, has large scented white, cream or pink flowers and a characteristic red-pink bark.

A spokesperson from Bodnant Garden told the Pioneer: "Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ was bred at Penjerrick Garden in Cornwall in 1923, a hybrid of R. campylocarpum Elatum Group and R. griffithianum. Henry McLaren described R. ‘Penjerrick’ as ‘the most lovely of all rhododendrons’ and planted a grove of them along a path on Furnace Hill.  

"R ‘Penjerrick’ is notoriously difficult to propagate and, like other smooth barked rhododendrons, cannot easily be reproduced from cuttings. For this reason it has never been a common sight in gardens in the UK and as plants have died off in gardens they have not been replaced.  

"In 2008, flower buds taken from R‘ Penjerrick’ near the Lily Terrace at Bodnant Garden were sent to the laboratories at Duchy College in Cornwall for micropropagation.    

North Wales Pioneer: Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ by the Lily Terrace at Bodnant Garden Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ by the Lily Terrace at Bodnant Garden (Image: National Trust/Bodnant Garden)
"It took five years to nurture cell samples under laboratory conditions. The young plants have then been weaned and nursed at Bodnant Garden Nursery, before being planting out on Furnace Hill in 2015.

"These are now looking lovely and coming into flower along Penjerrick Walk up on Furnace Hill and the original plant located near the Lily Terrace is also in flower."

The National Trust Cymru is marking Blossom Week which runs from April 20 until April 28. 

North Wales Pioneer: The Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ has large scented white, cream or pink flowers and characteristic red-pink barkThe Rhododendron ‘Penjerrick’ has large scented white, cream or pink flowers and characteristic red-pink bark (Image: National Trust / Bodnant Garden)
April is an exciting time to visit the world-famous garden.

Visitors can catch transient ornamental cherry blossom in the Glades and azaleas and viburnum in the Range borders, Terraces and Rockery. 

A Blossom Week highlight at the site is the Embothrium coccineum (Chilean Firebush) with its flame-coloured flowers. It is described as a seasonal showstopper.

The charity is encouraging people to share snapshots of their blossom discoveries on social media, using the hashtages #BlossomWatch and #GwleddyGwanwyn.