Babīte Rhododendrons Bouquet in Peak Bloom Condition

The Rhododendron Garden at Babīte, the location with the largest collection of rhododendrons in the Baltics, is currently experiencing a peak season that has attracted thousands of visitors. According to the nursery manager, Kristaps Kunrads, around 3,000 people visited Babīte last weekend alone.

Gunita Riekstiņa, a researcher and breeder at the nursery, shared that the flowers are particularly worth seeing this year due to a good winter and unusually bright and vivid colors. The bloom, however, will end in a couple of weeks, Kunrads added.

The ticket office at Babīte has a long queue as everyone rushes to see the rhododendrons. People are squeezing between the flowers to get a photo, creating a bustling atmosphere in the 12-hectare park that is home to approximately 45,000 plants.

To mark the occasion and the peak of the flowering season, the Rhododendron Park will be filled with music every evening this week. The nursery is also celebrating its 45th anniversary on Wednesday.

In addition to the usual rhododendrons, a wild rhododendron, the marsh rhododendron (Rhododendron tomentosum), is growing in Latvia and will be on display in the new European quarter. Valdis Bormanis, a wild rhododendron grower in Latvia, will be exhibiting these unique plants.

This is the third collection of its kind, following the opening of North American and Japanese-themed gardens in previous years. The nursery at Babīte continues to expand its offerings, providing visitors with a diverse and immersive rhododendron experience.

Interest in visiting Babīte is growing, according to the nursery manager. Kunrads encourages everyone to come and enjoy the floral landscape and fragrance before the bloom ends.