Blooming with red and pink flowers, the bush is located in the grounds of the South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, West Sussex.
Rhododendrons planted by Victorian explorer Frederick Du Cane Godman around 120 years ago - has expanded dramatically over the years.
The huge arboreum smithii, also known as the Old Cornish rhododendron species, has been affectionately nicknamed 'The Big Rhodey' by hotel head gardener Paul Collins and his team.
The 51 year old, who maintained the plant for the past ten years, said: 'Its definitely better than last year. Who knows why - its nature isn't it!
'It does like rain in winter and the past year hasn't been too frosty. It's been a good combination of a hot summer last year, a fair amount of rain during winter and then a fairly nice spring. All that has helped it come along.'
When it was last measured in 2017, 'Big Rhodey' was 30ft high and 40ft wide but Mr Collins hasn't got his tape measure out in a while: 'It's a few years since I measured it but you could easily fit a double decker bus in there. It's huge!'
Mr Collins, from Horsham, said the big bush is fairly low maintenance as even using a hose pipe on full blast would not water the roots due to the plant's size: 'You let nature take its course - it's just so big.
'A large fully grown oak tree drinks 40,000 litres a day of water and that bush is bigger or about the equivalent to an oak because the leaves are wider so there must be a fair amount of liquid going through that plant.
'It just grows bigger and bigger each year. This is the big beast rhododendron.
'I've had to take away smaller plants and other rhododendrons so that this one has got more rooms to grow. Sometimes they've been completely engulfed by the big one.'
Eloise Mercer who has worked as a gardener at the lodge for almost two years said: 'It's definitely a big attraction. This is the first year that I've actually seen it flower because last year we were on furlough. When you come in and see it in full bloom it does take your breath away.
'Its lovely - its definitely something we're all very proud of and everyone posts pictures of it, even those who work here who see it everyday..'
The 23-year-old, who was brought up in Horsham added: 'This is one of the best years. I've seen pictures from last years and I don't know what was going on with the weather but it was really patchy when it bloomed.
'But this year is really great because all the flowers are budding at the same time which is just perfect and exactly how you want it.'
Explorer, Mr Du Cane Godman, a Cambridge scholar, planted the bush after his family bought the hotel and its grounds in 1883 and was fascinated by horticulture.
He travelled the world, compiling a natural history classification of more than 50,000 species, gathering a large collection of rare orchids, alpine plants and magnolias with his second wife Dame Alice.
Music: Broken - Patrick Patrikios
Source: Daily Mail
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
Rhododendrons planted by Victorian explorer Frederick Du Cane Godman around 120 years ago - has expanded dramatically over the years.
The huge arboreum smithii, also known as the Old Cornish rhododendron species, has been affectionately nicknamed 'The Big Rhodey' by hotel head gardener Paul Collins and his team.
The 51 year old, who maintained the plant for the past ten years, said: 'Its definitely better than last year. Who knows why - its nature isn't it!
'It does like rain in winter and the past year hasn't been too frosty. It's been a good combination of a hot summer last year, a fair amount of rain during winter and then a fairly nice spring. All that has helped it come along.'
When it was last measured in 2017, 'Big Rhodey' was 30ft high and 40ft wide but Mr Collins hasn't got his tape measure out in a while: 'It's a few years since I measured it but you could easily fit a double decker bus in there. It's huge!'
Mr Collins, from Horsham, said the big bush is fairly low maintenance as even using a hose pipe on full blast would not water the roots due to the plant's size: 'You let nature take its course - it's just so big.
'A large fully grown oak tree drinks 40,000 litres a day of water and that bush is bigger or about the equivalent to an oak because the leaves are wider so there must be a fair amount of liquid going through that plant.
'It just grows bigger and bigger each year. This is the big beast rhododendron.
'I've had to take away smaller plants and other rhododendrons so that this one has got more rooms to grow. Sometimes they've been completely engulfed by the big one.'
Eloise Mercer who has worked as a gardener at the lodge for almost two years said: 'It's definitely a big attraction. This is the first year that I've actually seen it flower because last year we were on furlough. When you come in and see it in full bloom it does take your breath away.
'Its lovely - its definitely something we're all very proud of and everyone posts pictures of it, even those who work here who see it everyday..'
The 23-year-old, who was brought up in Horsham added: 'This is one of the best years. I've seen pictures from last years and I don't know what was going on with the weather but it was really patchy when it bloomed.
'But this year is really great because all the flowers are budding at the same time which is just perfect and exactly how you want it.'
Explorer, Mr Du Cane Godman, a Cambridge scholar, planted the bush after his family bought the hotel and its grounds in 1883 and was fascinated by horticulture.
He travelled the world, compiling a natural history classification of more than 50,000 species, gathering a large collection of rare orchids, alpine plants and magnolias with his second wife Dame Alice.
Source: Daily Mail
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
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