Exploring a World of Beautiful Trees

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN

WESTONBIRT, a village in the English Cotswolds, is famous for its arboretum.a It is one of the oldest, largest, and finest collections of trees and shrubs in the world. Let us take a closer look at it.

Beauty and Grandeur

“No one remains untouched by the beauty, the grandeur, and the magnificence of this collection,” says Hugh Angus, the curator. And judging by the number of visitors who return again and again, he seems to be right.

The arboretum contains 18,000 trees and shrubs, which represent nearly half the 9,000 species and varieties that grow in the world’s Temperate Zones. Visitors may wander freely through the park’s 600 acres [240 ha], but to help them get the most enjoyment, “we have divided the Arboretum into four sections and suggested good times to visit each,” the official guidebook explains. In addition, there are special features, such as the Autumn Colour Trail, the Hillier Cherry Collection, and the Native Species Collection, all signposted and mapped.

Seasonal Delights

The seasonal cycle of the Northern Hemisphere is a natural delight. In the arboretum, each season has its own attractions. Winter is the best time to appreciate the wide variety of conifers and to see the graceful shapes, interesting textures, and surprising colors of the deciduous trees while bare of leaves. Later, the shrubs and trees that flower in the spring—azaleas, camellias, cherries, magnolias, and rhododendrons—give their glorious display, and carpets of wildflowers add to the beauty of the setting.

A peaceful leafiness descends upon the arboretum in summer, before the botanical fireworks display of autumn, or fall. Some 90,000 visitors flock to Westonbirt in October to see this spectacle, for which it is most renowned. Here the varieties of Japanese maples, with their intense red color, steal the show.

Many of the older specimens of Japanese maples at Westonbirt may be originals imported during the Edo period, 1603-1867. Sadly, there are no records of the Japanese names of these old varieties. Maples became less popular in Japan soon after their introduction into Europe, so these surviving early imports cannot be checked against Japanese collections or nursery stock. As the older Japanese maples decline, glades of young trees are being planted. Nearly every tree has a different leaf shape and color. The trees were grown from seeds collected from the old maple trees, and they were selected for their autumn hues. To give them protection and shade, the maples are planted among mature oaks and conifers. These also provide a backdrop of golds and greens through which shafts of autumn sunlight illuminate the maples.

Scientific Management

The Westonbirt Arboretum was started as a private hobby in 1829 and was acquired by the British Forestry Commission in 1956. Providing recreation for the public is not its only objective. Indeed, the principal aim is to develop a scientific collection best suited to local conditions. To this end, research is carried out into propagation methods, and the results—successes and failures—are shared with other botanical gardens.

Westonbirt has pioneered a computerized inventory system that records details about each specimen—its origin, progress from seed to maturity, health and any treatment for disease, and even cause of death. Another vital function is the propagation of rare or unusual species, including those that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists as endangered in their natural environments. Seeds are obtained from authenticated sources to avoid hybridization, and specimens are made available to other arboretums.

Westonbirt is also an educational center. There are programs on tree identification, talks on deforestation, lecture tours, and slide shows. At certain times of the year, illustrated discussions are provided daily for visiting schoolchildren.

As we reluctantly leave the arboretum, enriched by an unforgettable experience, we feel an urge to return to share in the glories of the other seasons. Exploring this beautiful world of trees has given us a greater awareness of their grandeur as well as their importance in earth’s pattern of life.

[Footnote]

[Pictures on page 17]

Top: Lawson’s cypresses

Middle: Japanese maple

Bottom: Cedar of Lebanon