A COUNTRY estate near Chippenham has been hiding a 150-year-old secret. Plants dating back to the 1850s which were believed to be long extinct have been discovered at Bowood.

The 25-30 hardy hybrid rhododendrons were found by leading horticulturalist Dr Mike Robinson.

Dr Robinson took cuttings of the plants and confirmed they were from surviving early stage rhododendrons, planted around 1850.

Lord Lansdowne, the estate owner, said: "The find at Bowood is of significant historical interest and marks our gardens as being one of the most fascinating in the United Kingdom.

"My great-great-great-grandfather, the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne, started to plant rhododendrons at Bowood around 1850."

The estate's magnificent gardens are a major tourist attraction, and the Rhododendron Walks are extremely popular in the spring.

The walks lead people on a trail around part of the gardens to look at the beautiful flowers planted by the Lansdowne family over the years.

"For more than 30 years, the Rhododendron Walks have been extremely close to my own heart and I have put much energy into their development, adding to the plantings by previous generations of my family," said Lord Lansdowne.

Visitors to the Rhododendron Walks, which open on Good Friday for six weeks, will be able to see the newly discovered hardy hybrids, along with the other rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.

Lady Arabella Unwin, Lord Lansdowne's daughter, is looking forward to the re-opening of the gardens, and is expecting extra interest because of the new discovery.

She said: "The discovery is very exciting for everyone at Bowood. The Rhododendron Walks are always popular with our visitors, so we are expecting that these plants are going to spark a lot of interest with people wanting to come and see them.

"It is still early in the season so most of the plants are in full bud but not yet in flower.

"It is a lovely place for people to come for a walk but we don't want them to be disappointed as it will be a little while before everything is in flower."

Information on the flowering season is available on the Bowood website at www.bowood.org