Westonbirt Arboretum

[David Nicholson]

Although our traditional day out is usually Wednesday yesterday we travelled to Worcester to see a cousin of mine and then Maureen and I travelled back south to Cirencester in Gloucestershire where we spent the night before going to Westonbirt Arboretum today.

Westonbirt is just South of the small 'royal' town of Tetbury (which is 'home' to Prince Charles as well as to Princess Ann) and around a dozen miles from Junction 18 of the M4 (Junction 18 is around 20 miles North of Bath .

The National Arboretum, managed by The Forestry Commission, cover some 600 acres (2.4Km2), has 17 miles of accessible paths and receives some 400,000 visitors a year. It has around 15,000 specimens of tree; 2500 different types and 145 'Champion' trees. It's 'signature' species (defined as trees that over time or by selection have come to perform a particular role in Westonbirt's  lanscape owing to their size, location or number within the collection both) cover both native and exotic species, and include:-
Calcedrus decumens
Parrotica persica
Japanese Maples
Lirodendron tulipefera
Fagus sylvatica
Hippophae thamnoides
Pinus sylvestris
https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6xdcxq

It's a great place to visit, is very visitor friendly and has an excellent restaurant and good cake! If I had a grouse I would question why unleashed dogs should be allowed in some areas (some areas are dog free) and the lack of underplanting. I didn't see a single Cyclamen, having said that I'm sure native wild flowers would be on view at suitable flowering times.

I took many pictures and deleted a lot that I might have duplicated which still leaves a lot. I hope you enjoy them and can forgive me if you feel that once having seen a picture of a red-leaved tree you've seen 'em all! Almost 98% of the pictures are unnamed.

So, to start, and most probably to be continued tomorrow.

[David Nicholson]

more from Westonbirt

[David Nicholson]

.... and more

[angie]

Lovely Autumn colours.

Angie 

[David Nicholson]

Some more from Westonbirt.

[David Nicholson]

and more

[David Nicholson]

Last few Autumn colours:-

[David Nicholson]

One or two other treey things that caught my eye:-

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula'........ Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
A couple of barks I liked (me being 'arty'!) the first one Pinus sylvestris, Sots Pine and the second Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas Fir.
Platanus orientalis, Oriental Plane with a massive branch spread and trunk