EMAIL: sales@rhododendrons.co.uk

Millais Nurseries first opened to the public on its existing site in 1970 but the family have been at Crosswater Farm dating back to 1947. Their involvement with rhododendron horticulture goes back even further to the early 1900s.

The nursery is at the forefront of rhododendron horticulture to this day and many of those plants you see at your local garden centre have been discovered, bred and then sold by Millais Nurseries. If you live in the Surrey area, are interested in rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and similar plants, cut out the middle man and visit Millais Nurseries direct. They are the experts in a way that no general purpose garden centre can ever be and they can help you select the correct plant for your garden conditions.

Over the last 45 years or so the nursery have organised trips to areas of Himalayas to discover different varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. This has resulted in varieties being available in the UK which flower as early as February or as late as July. New dwarf forms have been bought back allowing those with smaller gardens to grow appropriately sized plants.

One problem with acid loving plants is that they are very reluctant to grow on clay soils. That's not a problem any more with rhododendrons grafted onto Inkarho root stock which thrives in clay and chalky soil. These are now available at Millais Nurseries.

There are two garden areas open to the public at this plants nursery, the display area which is open only in May and the trials area which is open all year round. Both are interesting but clearly the display gardens in May are the major attraction. Spectacular is the best way to describe them, spread over several acres.

We have put together a suggested route for visiting three garden centres / plant nurseries in the Farnham area during May and one of them is Millais Nurseries. The route is only 9 miles and also includes a charming rose specialist plus a general purpose garden centre where you can stop for lunch and some shopping. Click here for more details of this free mini day out.

Other garden centre (not rose specialists) in the Farnham area include Seale Nurseries (rose specialists), Badshot Lea Garden Centre and Forest Lodge Garden Centre.