It is a truth universally acknowledged that half-lit scenes at dusk are not photographed well by 5 megapixel phone cameras – why I tried to is beyond me. Call it unpreparedness, call it lack of foresight if you will, but the photo included hereafter, is about the best, and frankly, it does neither Ariel nor the grounds justice on what were two extraordinary nights of Shakespearean delight at Dunans Castle.

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The Royal in question is Prince Charles, and he’s the inspiration for the newest of our garden projects. You’ll know if you have visited Dunans, that along the drive we have a truly magnificent bank of colourful rhododendrons. These Victorian exotics which provide such a riot of flame hues in May and June, are for the most part redundant during the rest of the year. Not only that, they’re getting leggy and somewhat shapeless in comparison to other examples in the grounds. So what to do? Well, good old Charlie Windsor gave us a great idea.

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