Seeds Arrive

Autumn is a busy time in the nursery, now is the perfect time for taking semi-ripe cuttings of conifers and it also the time to be collecting seed. We have had our first batch in this year from a joint expedition between Wakehurst Place and our sister collection Westonbirt Arboretum to Japan. We are eagerlly awaiting seeds from Californina, Lebanon and the high mountains of El Salvador. These will all be grown on in the nursery for a few years before being planted out in the collection.

Autumn Views

The weather this week has been over cast and grey but the autumn colour is still looking amazing and the colours really stand out amoungst the conifers. The top picture is the view across Marshalls lake (from e12) looking at the fantastic stand of Swamp Cypress and Dawn Redwoods, the Swamp Cypress are turning there lovely rusty brown and soon the Dawn Redwoods will start to turn a tawny pinky brown. These are unusual as the are deciduous conifers!

The next 3 photos are taken on G11, G12. H11, H12 there are a number of Acer species growing amoungst the Fir and Cedar trees and is looking at its best right now.

Berries

There are lots of lovely berries to look at around the Pinetum providing the local wildlife with food over the coming months a few to look out for are (top to bottom) Sorbus maderensis H9(critically endangered from Madeira), Sorbus commixta I8 (Japan, Sakhalin and Korea) and the golden fruited yew Taxus baccata 'Lutea' I14

Pseudolarix amabilis

Most conifers are evergreen like Pines, Spruce, Fir and the dreaded Leylandii a few however are deciduous and they have fantastic autumn colour one of our favourites is the Golden Larch Pseudolarix amabilis from Eastern China where it is endangered due to logging and land being cleared for agriculture and housing. In December Dan was lucky enough to go to Tianmu Shan one of the few remaining area where it grows "wild" (bottom picture). In China it can reach over 50m tall with a dead straight trunk, howere in the UK it is usually only seen as a small tiered tree. The grass green needles start to turn around the middle of October to a beautiful golden yellow (top picture) before falling to the ground a few weeks later. We have two good specimens planted in 1950 these can be found in I11.

Pine Cones

Autumn is also a good time to look out for cones, across the Pinetum you can find them in varying shapes and sizes ranging from tiny cones the size of a penny on Larix laracina to some of the more impressive Pine cones like those of Pinus armandii (top) and Pinus x holfordiana (middle) both of these trees are absolutely covered with cones at the moment, the best place to see these are on the bank opposite the visitor centre (L6). Slightly smaller but just as interesting are the cones on Picea obovata down in Dallimore Valley (H9).

Autumn Leaves

The deciduous trees are still putting on a wonderful show some of this weeks best top to bottom are Fothergilla major (map location G9), Liquidambar styraciflua (the best ones are in H9) and Acer japonicum 'Vitifolium' (I13)