Sofiero´s Rhododendrons

Sofiero has the ideal conditions for rhododendrons. The gullies, to the north and south of the Palace, are sheltered and have a good combination of light and shade. There is a low pH, the earth is porous and well drained. Sofiero’s first rhododendrons were planted in 1907, with new shrubs still being planted. On the old king’s death in 1973, there were about 5,000 plants and almost 500 different types of rhododendron in the park. This number has now grown to over 10,000 plants.

The planting of rhododendrons can be divided into four phases.

The first phase involves Crown Princess Margareta’s intellectual heritage and contacts from her home country, England. Sofiero’s first rhododendrons were planted in 1907, with the plants coming from her childhood home, Bagshot Park. These now form magnificent groups, with heights of up to eight metres.

The second phase started in the 1930s, when Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf started his collection of rhododendrons. Right up until his death, the garden included a nursery. Here there were greenhouses, a large number of hot and cold beds, and a shade hall. Plants were brought on here from seeds or cuttings. Every year, up to forty different kinds of rhododendron seeds were sown, then to be cared for in the nursery for almost ten years before being planted out in the borders. Much exchanging was done with, for instance, Gothenburg Botanic Garden, Kew Gardens in London, Edinburgh Botanic Garden and Windsor Great Park. Not only seeds and cuttings were exchanged, but also ideas and experience.

The third phase started in the 1940s, when the hard winters of the war years took their toll on the Sofiero plants. After the war, the king put much energy into filling the gaps with new rhododendrons. Nurseries in both England and Germany contributed many valuable plants.
In Professor Bertil Lindquist’s thesis The Rhododendrons at Sofiero, he writes about the king: “His majesty himself organised the acquisition and care of all the material and also planned the planting process. Registration of the plants was done in the king’s own hand. His rhododendron card index demonstrates meticulous regard to detail. Not only the origin of incoming material was registered, but also blooming, fruit-setting and the continuing fate of the seed material.”

The fourth phase started in the 1980s, with new contacts such as Glendoick Nursery in Scotland and Hans Hachmann in Germany. They have contributed numerous plants to Sofiero’s modern range.
 
Scandinavian collections from the Yunnan province in Southern China have come to Sofiero thanks to contacts with different institutions and private individuals. In 2005, material from the KGB (Kunming-Gothenburg Botanical expedition) of 1993 was donated.  With the planting done in the jubilee year, Sofiero continues to test new rhododendrons for our climate.