The weather and rhododendrons are ahead of 2025 by a couple of weeks, significant at Exbury, which has 200 acres of mixed herbaceous, contemporary, formal and woodland gardens bordering the Beaulieu River. There is narrow-gauge steam railway finalised in 2001 by enthusiast Leopold de Rothschild and inspired by Aviemore Station in Scotland.
The Rothschild dynasty started with a coin dealer in the Frankfurt ghetto with five sons, who spread throughout Europe in the 1800’s. Exbury House, a neoclassical mansion was built around an earlier structure in the 1920s. In 1919 Lionel de Rothschild started to build Exbury Gardens with a gang of 150 workmen and 60 gardeners, similar to his father’s, at Gunnersbury Park in London. 1942 and the Royal Navy moved into the house, a stone frigate operating as HMS Mastodon, King George Vl visiting shortly before the D-Day invasion. After Lionel died in 1942 work was continued by his sons and now the grand-children’s families. The Rothschild coat of arms has five arrows, depicted in the Glades garden and representing the five brothers, the motto is harmony, Industriousness, Integrity.
The gardens are very large for one visit so below is an impression:
Sun dappled shady walks and cerise rhododendrons of different shape, where babies seem to relish, bees hum louder on pink patterned lusciousness, like evening gowned ladies with décolletage divine. Over the bridge to Witchers Wood and the quieter colours of trees and shrubs, a single conifer has its own space for us to find. Down meandering paths, we wander above fallen and crushed petals, the delicate mauve of summer frock rhododendrons and the quiet Chinese marsh flower, gives subtle colour to rough mown sward.
A tall conifer seems to do the splits before entering the old tennis courts where there is a roaring cafe trade but brings no respite: as nearby a wicket gate gives notice that Peters’ family will bound into the sundial garden and fool around. Here wisteria columns reside as wedding court in an herbaceous garden with topiary grand and winged heraldic animal held sublime, where a further wicket gate is held by laburnum tree not quite meeting its mate. The Beaulieu river flows serene and yachts drift by as above tree trunks, where vivid pink shamrocks meet the feet, of ivy growing high.
Fire and ice of burning orange, yellow and cerise clash making pink an insipid marshmallow, but the scent of tall and delicate bridal white gives joy before the restful lake of mirror bright. A pleasant seat between two towering trees gives gentler beauty to the sight before the sound of a cascading stream flowing from pool to pool beneath dark acers limb and metallic leaf.
Calm before a rhododendron of hunting pink in full array reminiscent of a frosty day. Camellias beyond on their own pathway, past candelabra primula and iris deep pink, purple, yellow and blue beneath a bushy aster of pink green hue. Sweet camellia blushing bride you seem to hide from your cousin, such raucous red, and a wiggly tree how long it has laid after the short-sided house was made complete.
To board the little train Mariloo, if the station can be found, Queen EII in 2008 to the footplate she was bound. The smell of smoke takes me back to coal fires in grates and history past. The trip through woods with an unwavering array of fauna, with David Attenborough’s friends depicted, although would you want the shining gigantic centipede in your compost to reside, but here the buff-tip moth (Phalera Bucephala) might hide.
Photos and Text by Sarah Herring