England's biggest shrub - in grounds of Sussex hotel - blooms early after record warm February

The record-breaking bush at the five-star South Lodge Hotel near Horsham is reported to be flowering a month earlier than normal.

The 120-year-old plant – rhododendron arboreum Smithii – has been dubbbed ‘The Big Rhodey’ and ‘Shrubzilla’ and attracts visitors from around the world to marvel at its size.

It is now said to have a massive circumference of 115m and has become increasingly bigger by re-rooting itself. As its branches weigh down, they come into contact with the ground and eventually form new roots, spreading it further out from its base.

The monster rhododendron is one of a number – but by far the biggest – that Victorian plant-lover and RSPB founder Frederick DuCane Godman planted at South Lodge more than120 years ago.

South Lodge itself is just across the road from another major Sussex garden attraction – Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens – where head gardener Jamie Harris says plants there are also blooming earlier this year.

“Everything is well ahead of schedule due to the warm weather, although that process is most visible in the upper parts of the garden rather than down in the valley where the temperatures are that much colder.

"We have rhododendrons flowering a good month early and the daffodils also started blooming during February rather than their usual March explosion.

"Last year the magnolias were hit by April frosts, whereas this year many of them will have finished flowering by April.”

More than 10,000 white daffodils – Narcissus ‘Thalia’ – were recently planted on the 240-acre estate as well as 2,000 dwarf bi-colour daffodils.

Most of the estate’s daffodils are Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the wild daffodil, with 5,000 added recently, to total some 100,000 specimens, says Jamie.