For more than 50 years the Tye family have been nuturing this wonderful setting that has been a favourite family day out for just as long.

From the Origins with John Marsden-Smedley

It was the village of Lea that John Marsden-Smedley (1867-1959) spent much of his life. As well as being the local squire, he was the owner of John Smedley Ltd, a manufacturer of quality woollen garments which is still in existence today. In 1895 he rebuilt the farm of Lea Green into the fine house, which is still used today as a residential and day centre for the local education authority.

The gardens at lea Green were typical for a house of that period, featuring high sheltered walls and hot houses for growing fruit and flowers. These early gardens reflected John Marsden-Smedleys great love of plants, and the local area still owes much of it's wooded nature to his dedication to the planting of trees.

John Marsden-Smedley tried planting rhododendrons in various areas of his land, and remnants of these trials may still be seen in parts of his old woodland. These earliest trials yielded one ideal position with the much desired shelter for successfully establishing rhododendrons; the present side of Lea Gardens. In addition, the mature trees of Scots Pine, yew, Sycamore, Chestnut, Oak and Silver Birch gave the wind protection and partial shade so essential for the plants.

In 1935, at the age of sixty-eight, John Marsden-Smedley was inspired by his visits to Bodnant and Exbury to build his own rhododendron garden on the site he had located behind his existing garden. Skilled craftsmen from his estate used the abundant stone littering the area - originally an old quarry site dating back to roman times to fashion paths and verandas in the local style of dry stone walling. Soilwas brought from other parts of his estate to top up beds of sand. In some cases ash was brought from the furnaces of his wollen mill to add to this topping-up process.

The Collection was started

A collection of rhododendrons and azaleas was now started, and records were kept showing plants to have come from leading growers and breeders of the 1930s. Knaphill, Exbury and Bodnant all feature in the early handwritten entries detailing plant-suppliers and varieties ordered. Efforts were made to establish less-hardy varieties and it was found that even those specimens supposed to survive only in West Coastal regions could be grown in this sheldered quarry site.

During this period John Marsden-Smedley collected some 350 varieties of specie and hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas in a 2 acre site, which he developed before his death in 1959, at the age of 92.

Fifty new years of ownership and care begins with the Tye family
The estate was then divided and sold, and it was at this time that the gardens were acquired by Peter and Nancy Tye. they were joined a year later by Joyce Colyer who brought her expertise as the estate manager for John Marsden-Smedley together with an intimate knowledge of the gardens and their content.

Nancy Tye showed an artistic flair for the rockery and garden design, creating new alpine screes to compliment the existing rhododendron collection. Fresh areas of the garden were developed with the introduction of the new plants, rock screes, ornamental shrubs and trees, and in 1960 peter, Nancy and Joyce opened the garden to the public. The house at Lea Gardens was a later addition, built in 1967.

Lea Gardens as you know it today was born.