Rhododendrons

The Lower East Garden lies at the heart of a ruggedly romantic valley landscape to the east of the palace. It was laid out by Duke Friedrich II around 1800 in the style of an English landscape garden.

Its dreamy scenery is dominated by rhododendrons and azaleas. Their brightly coloured flowers harmonise beautifully with the mostly dark-hued deciduous and evergreen trees. The high point of the season lasts from mid-May to around mid-June, when the rhododendrons can be seen in all their glory. The prolific flowers in this semi-shady spot bring to mind the enormous groves and forests of their native lands.

Some 2,500 rhododendrons and hundreds of azaleas show just how broad the range of this attractive plant is. The largest distribution area of rhododendrons extends from Japan to China to the Himalayas. But North America and Europe also have a number of wild species. At Blühendes Barock (Baroque in Bloom), the cultivated garden varieties glow in almost every nuance of colour from white and pink to red and violet shades.