Elusive Polar Bear rhododendron blooms early at Aberdeensire castle

Members of the Plant Listing at the National Trust for Scotland (PLANTS) team have expressed their delight after they found the stunning 'Polar Bear' Rhododendron in early flower during their surveying of the Drum Castle grounds. The white flowering specimen was first spotted in July 2022 and the team were delighted to have captured the stunning images of it in full flower this year.

PLANTS is the biggest horticultural audit project undertaken by the Trust.

Running from June 2022 until March 2025, the regional project teams are recording an estimated 100,000 plants across 39 of National Trust for Scotland's major gardens and designed landscapes.

The project will help the Trust celebrate, protect and better understand the flora and vegetation across the country, including many rare and important specimens.

Further information on the project can be found here: https://www.nts.org.uk/what-we-do/gardens/plants-project

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