|
The
National Arboretum at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire may be famous
for its autumn colour but one of its best kept secrets is the spectacular
spring blooms displayed by the exotic magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons,
and azaleas.
A taste of what you might see at Westonbirt
(4 pictures)
After
the peaceful scenes of winter with frosted conifers and evergreens,
the early flowering rhododendrons and camellias begin to open for
their spring display in February.
Dinner
plates
Magnolias
the size of dinner plates (right) bring a touch of the exotic in
March, and Silk Wood bursts into life with wood anemones and glades
of flowering cherries, bluebells and late flowering camellias in
April.
The
colours are particularly striking from mid April when everything
is still in flower and rhododendrons and azaleas are at their very
best.
Pocket
handkerchief tree
The
horse chestnut trees are in flower and the endangered pocket handkerchief
tree Davidia involucrata will stop you in your tracks with a stunning
display in late May of large white bracts, which hang beside the
small clusters of flowers, which give the plant its common name.
Curator
Simon Toomer said: "The spring trails will direct visitors
to some of the best flower displays including two of the first Magnolias
to flower, between mid March and early April, which are the Asian
Pink Tulip Tree Magnolia campbelii, and the tallest magnolia in
Britain (24 metres or 80ft tall), the Goddess Magnolia, Magnolia
sprengeri 'Divi'".
Exotic
species
"The
numerous flowering trees and shrubs planted over Westonbirt's 200
year history now present us with a magnificent collection that still
includes some of the world's most exotic species first collected
by the Victorian plant hunters. "
A taste of what you might see at Westonbirt
(4 pictures)
| Westonbirt
Arboretum |
| Venue |
Westonbirt
Arboretum, near Tetbury |
| Opening
times |
Open
all year between 10am and 8pm or dusk if earlier. |
| Cost
of admission |
Adults
£6.50, children £1, concessions £5.50 |
| How
to get there |
Westonbirt
Arboretum is situated three miles south west of Tetbury on
the A433 (Tetbury to Bath Road). 10 miles north east of Junction
18 of the M4 and south east of junction 13 of the M5.
|
| Contact |
01666 880 220 or visit www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt |
If
you would like to comment on this story get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
or have your say on our messageboard
|
If
you visit Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire this Spring you're
in for a display of the exotic and wild.
