Ruud Streefkerk

This is an almost blown flower of a Rhododendron in the Inverewe Garden, a 20-acre botanical garden on the West-coast of the Scottish Highlands. The garden was laid out in 1862 by Osgood Mackenzie on a barren part of the 850-acre estate that his mother bought for him. Initially, the challenges were to provide for a wind-break from the sea and for a more fertile soil. To this end, he planted a mixture of large trees and shrubs, such as Corsican pine, Douglas fir and Rhododendrons. After that, until his death in 1922, he exerted himself to grow as many exotic plants as possible (2500!) that could thrive in this climate.