Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden

High in the mountains of Asia, the climate is so harsh that very few trees can survive. Plants there evolved to resist extremes of temperature, rain and wind. The most common plants are dwarf rhododendrons which are equivalent to the heathers on British moorlands. Growing among them are some familiar shrubs - cotoneaster, potentilla, gaultheria and juniper.

This garden represents a natural mountain habitat of rolling hummocky moorland with occasional areas of low woodland. Plants from different mountain regions of Asia - those of Korea, the Sino-Himalayas, Taiwan and Japan - are grouped together in separate beds for more accurate representations of their native habitats.

The dwarf rhododendrons are at their best in May, especially Rhododendron degronianum subsp. yakushimanum, which is among the most spectacular you can find - a compact plant absolutely smothered with flowers, ranging from white, through pale to deep pink. However, the garden is interesting throughout the year and gives visitors a great many ideas for plantings in exposed conditions.

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