Bedgebury Pinetum Tree Team Blog

Winter tree inspections

2011-11-28T16:37:00.002Z

Over the last few days the tree team at Bedgebury have been carrying out tree safety inspections around the Pinetum. These inspections are carried out in what we call "high profile areas", and we monitor the trees for things like dead wood in the crowns, posible decay, trees blow over in the wind and hung up branches. Once these inspections are completed the work is prioritised and carried out accordingly to ensure the trees are kept in good health and the public in a safe enviroment. Written by Kevin Cooper of the Bedgebury Tree Team.

Seeds Arrive

2011-10-28T14:30:00.001+01:00

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

2011-10-28T09:43:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-17T14:40:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-17T14:02:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-17T13:53:00.000+01:00

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

2011-10-17T13:35:00.000+01:00

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)

Autumn Views

2011-09-30T14:47:00.000+01:00

The view down across Dallimore Valley

2011-09-30T14:19:00.000+01:00

This week has seen some of the best weather we have had since early summer. The Pinetum is looking stunning in the unexpected sunshine the autumn colour is holding well. The top photo is Betula lenta the Cherry Birch from E USA this tree was planted in 2006 this tree can be seen on the bank over the lake from the visitor centre. The middle photo is of Rhus trichocarpa with its fantastic deep orangey red autumn colour, it makes a fantastic small shrubby tree unfortunately the sap can be irritant to some people so look but dont touch! See F10 It is a native of eastern Asia, this plant was collected from the wilds of Japan. The bottom picture is the leaf of Acer rubrum the Red or Canadian Maple this beautiful colouring maple is from the eastern USA and eventually makes a large tree for the smaller garden a better option would be one of the Japanese maples. The best examples are in I12

The Katsura Tree

2011-09-20T09:53:00.000+01:00

Some of the best autumn displays have already begun, the Katsura Tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum is looking stunning at the moment its beautiful heart shaped leaves turn different shades of yellow, orange, red and purple. On top of this the leaves as they fall on to the ground give off a wonderful smell of candy floss. In the UK it is a small to medium sized bushy tree but in its natural habit in China and Japan it can reach over 45m! That is nearly as tall as the Old Man of Kent. The best examples in the Pinetum are in grids (click of the Bedgebury Pinetum map at the top of the page) G8 below the Leyland hedge and in K5 on the bank opposite the visitor centre.

Autumn Has Started

2011-09-20T09:17:00.000+01:00

We have had some strong winds recently with gusts to 70mph. Fortunately no trees have been blown down but we have lost a few large branches. Have you noticed the nights drawing in and the temperatures dropping putting a chill in the air? These changes herald the arrival of autumn and this year looks good for a beautiful show of autumn leaf colour. Some of the wild flowers are still looking their best. One of the stars at Bedgebury is Devil's-bit Scabious 'Succisa pratensis' growing in large areas under the conifers across the site. Look out for the round bluish purple rounded flower heads nodding on long stalks; it is a good source of food for bees and butterflies. It gets its common name Devil’s-bit Scabious because its roots stop abruptly as if they have been bitten off. The plant was used to cure almost anything, so the Devil got angry with it. He bit off the root out of spite.

Whoops

2011-09-06T14:02:00.000+01:00

The Bedgebury Tree team taking down the Grand Silver Fir next to the old man of kent

Spring bursts into life at Bedgebury

2010-04-29T12:07:00.000+01:00

After the tough winter, Bedgebury at last is coming into full bloom. Here's a taste of what's looking good.

Bedgebury winter wonderland

2010-01-04T11:19:00.001Z

Bedgebury prepares for winter

2009-11-30T12:46:00.000Z

Winter colour in the dwarfs by the dog kennel.

Tiny fungi growing on one of the smallest of our NCCPG National Collections of Lawson Cypress. This one is called Chamaecyparis lawsonian 'Green Globe'. It was grown as a cutting in 1980 and is no bigger than a football even now. You can find it next to the gate by the dog kennel.

Spiders webs on the dwarf Picea abies next to the pond up from Marshall's Lake.

Beautiful white buds on Pinus thunbergii 'Thunder Head' at the end of Lady Mildred's Carriageway.

This Viburnum farreri at the end of Lady Mildred's Carriageway flowers in winter on naked stems and they are beautifully scented - have a sniff.

Towards the end of autumn

2009-11-04T15:49:00.000Z

A blaze of rich autumn colour on Acer palmatum 'Coonara Pygmy' - an excellent compact form of the Japanese Maple.

Tree team member Sean Lewis flail collecting. This is done each year towards the end of autumn to encourage the growth of wild flowers.

Bedgebury Pinetum is the holder of the NCCCPG Yew Collection. This tree (Taxus baccata 'Fructo Lutea') is the golden-fruited form of our native yew.

Pedro Leo Lobos, curator of the National Seed Bank in Chile, standing alongside a young Fitzroya cupressoides (Alerce). Pedro was in charge of our expedition to Chile, so it was great to be able to show him some of the conservation work we undertake at Bedgebury.

Autumn colour in Dallimore Valley

Male cones on the Deodar (Cedrus deodara) releasing the pollen that will fertilise next year's cones.

A good crop of holly berries. These will provide a valuable food source for many of Bedgebury's feathered friends over the winter months.

A fantastic range of colours produced by the leaves of the Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) which is often confused with the maple tree. It differes in having corky bark and the branches are alternate rather than opposite. Also, unlike maples, it doesn't have winged fruits.

A lovely specimen of the Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in full autumn colour in Dallimore Valley (just down from the Wellingtonias).

The golden yellow Ginkgo leaves are looking amazing at the moment. The Ginkgo originates in China, but we don't know whether it still occurs in the wild. On our trip to China in 2008 we saw some fantastic specimens planted in the grounds of monestaries. It is one of the most pollution-tolerant trees, commonly planted as a street tree around the world. These are almost always male trees, however, as the fruits on the female trees smell absolutely disgusting!!! Ginkgo can grow to a massive size, but there are now dwarf and slow-growing varieties ideal for the garden.

One of the young Ginkgos growing in Dallimore Valley. The largest specimens we have are growing in the area between the dwarf conifer collection and the Glory Hole.

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) flowers in winter.

Autumn at Bedgebury

2009-09-28T11:35:00.000+01:00

The leaves are starting to turn as Autumn puts on its beautiful display in the National Pinetum over the next few weeks.

Conifers provide a perfect green backdrop for the spectacular autumn colour. Look out for the bumper crop of berries and cones. The cold winter and lack of spring frost has resulted in a 'mast' year (contrary to popular belief, an abundance of berries doesn't necessarily mean a hard winter to come). While natural regeneration happens all the time, we generally get the best results if we propagate from collected seed, as we carefully document its origin and ensure wherever possible that we use seeds from different locations and habitats in order to create a broad gene pool.

Late summer

2009-08-13T14:58:00.000+01:00

2009-06-11T14:02:00.000+01:00

11th June

The superb spring continues into early summer. The late flowering Rhododendrons are starting to tail off, but the baton has been picked up by many others trying to outdo each other. Starting on the bank opposite the visitor centre, you cant fail to miss the deep purple red of the Smoke Bush (Cotinus ‘Grace). Just up behind them are a small group of Cornus kousa (Japanese Strawberry Tree) covered in white flowers (some pinky). Also look out for them in Autumn as they turn a fantastic rich crimson. If we are lucky they might fruit as well, producing strawberry-like fruit (hence the common name). These were only planted in 2006 - there are some slightly older specimens also covered in flower on the left-hand side of the big Leyland hedge.

Carrying on down Dallimore Valley on the bank to the right of the Leyland hedge (just by the turning towards Marshalls Lake) there are three Horse Chestnuts in flower (Aesculus x dallimorei). These are the first plants I grafted (back in 2003). The original plant material came from a grafted tree in Kent prior to 1956, but it is the name that's of particular interest - it's named in honour of William Dallimore, the first curator of the Pinetum. He laid out the original collection in 1925. Dallimore was also the first arborist at Kew Gardens and has written some very important books on pruning, conifers and hollies (and had a valley named after him at Bedgebury!). There is also a recently cultivar of Ash named by Kew Fraxinus ‘William Dallimore - a selection with fantastic deep purple Autumn colour. We have a small example on the top of the bank opposite the visitor centre.

Carry on around Marshalls lake passing the last of the Rhododendrons in flower over the bridge. Around to the right along the edge of the stream are the Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) from eastern North America. Clusters of pink flowers are covering the plants at the moment. Before they are fully open they look like iced gems.

The native plants are doing equally well. The last of the bluebells have now gone and it is the turn of the orchids to take centre stage. Odd spikes of pink/white and purple can be seen in the longer grass areas around the site. These are the Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuscsii), named for the spots on the leaves. If you take a close look at the spikes you can see the are made up of many tiny beautiful flowers. If you are really lucky you might spot a Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera). In and around the ponds the Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) are also looking really good.

Bedgebury in Bloom

2009-05-14T11:48:00.000+01:00

Thursday 14th May 2009

The National Pinetum team is dedicated but small. We are therefore very grateful to the Friends of Bedgebury volunteers who do stirling work every second Sunday of the month between September and May. If you are interested in helping give Friends Secretary Malcolm Dove a call on 01580 879842.

Bedgebury Friends volunteers clearing Rhododendron ponticum. Why? Because it's in danger of smothering important specimens in the collection and clearing it releases space for other plantings.

The Glory Hole - stunning display by the Rhododendrons

The spruce has got his hat on

A young Picea likiangensis cone

Newly-formed female Larix laricina cone

Heavily-scented Rhododendron luteum

Rhododendron luteum in flower

Following on from the success of my Chilean blog, I have decided to continue blogging, so that I can keep you informed of all the exciting things to see around the year at Bedgebury. The National Pinetum is not just a world-class conifer collection - there are many hidden gems and surprises at Bedgebury. I will use this blog to point you in their direction.

Cones

When people think of conifers the first things that spring to mind are Leyland Cypress, Christmas trees or uniformly green and non-flowering trees. However, at this time of year, they produce cones in many shapes, sizes and colours. I would like to point out some of the best of these young cones and hopefully change your mind. Check out the Tamarack larches (Larix laracina) on the bank across the lake from the visitor centre. There is a small group planted in the last few years that even at this early age a producing their beautiful small burgundy-coloured cones (the inspiration for the Bedgebury logo and corporate colour scheme).

As you walk down Dallimore valley from the visitor centre talk a few minutes to cross over to the Spruce (Picea sp) bank over to the right. At the moment many of the trees are laden with young cones varying in colour from pink and red through to purple and blue, depending on their species.

Young Douglas fir cones

The Douglas Firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) at the far end of the Leyland cypress hedge are covered in pinky red hedgehog-like cones. Keep an eye out for the various Fir Trees (Abies sp) around the Pinetum. Many are loaded with candle-shaped cones in various colours.

Abies cones

Blossom

Last winter temperatures dropped as low as minus 14 degrees centigrade (we have censors all round the Pinetum which automatically record temperatures every fifteen minutes). Despite this, we are witnessing some of the best blossom ever this spring and early summer, in particular the cherries, flowering crab apples and rhododendrons. The later flowering Rhododendrons around Marshalls Lake are well worth a look.

Some of my personal favourites at the moment are the Horse Chesnuts or Conker trees (Japanese horse chestnut Aesculus turbinata, red horse chestnut Aesculus x carnea, sweet buckeye Aeand, of course, the common chestnut) and also the Crab Apples (Malus sp.) in Dallimore Valley. But the crowning glory is the magnificent display of colour in the Glory Hole - currently at its peak. The heavy scent that you can smell all round the top end of the Pinetum is from the yellow trumpet-shaped flowers of Rhododendron luteum from Northen Turkey and Eastern Europe.

Wild flowers

Bedgebury is not all about exotic trees and shrubs. The Pinetum also provides a sanctuary rich in native flora and fauna. Wild flowers, animals, reptiles and insects thrive here due to a balanced and sympathetic approach to the management of the site. The star of the show at the moment is the common Bluebell, with its gently nodding lavender blue flowers forming a carpet at the feet of the trees. It is estimated that 70% of all the worlds Common Bluebells are found in the UK - look out for pink and white ones too.

Bluebells in Dallimore Valley

We do request that you enjoy this unique place responsibly and don't pick any of the cones and wild flowers so that others can enjoy them too.

I hope this blog will help to make your trip to Bedgebury all the more interesting and enjoyable. I will update it regularly to keep you posted on the best things to see all round the year.

The Final Week

2009-04-08T09:41:00.000+01:00

24th March

Melipeuco to Lonquimay

Our guides warned in advance that today was going to be a long drive (in time not distance) due to the condition of the road, but that there was going to be a lot to see and collect. They weren’t wrong.

We had only been driving for ten minutes before we came across a stand of Austrocedrus chilensis - the variation in their foliage colour ranged from dark green to silver. We made collections from a range of the colours to see if the colours carried through to the seedlings.
The very dusty road took us around the edge of Parque Nacional Congullio through China Muerta National Reserve. Along the way we saw so many amazing plants, stopping to collect as we passed. One of the most important collections for the Pinetum was from the Chilean Plum Yew (Prumnopitys andina). We planted many of these in the Bedgebury Conifer Conservation area but unfortunately several have died due to water logging. Having now seen the plants in the wild, this is not surprising. They are growing in very sandy, well-drained soil. We can now try them in a range of different sites. The fruit of the Chilean Plum Yew is like a yellow grape and the forest floor was absolutely covered with them, making collecting easy.

Another important collection for the Bedgebury Conifer Conservation and the Millennium Seed Bank were three species of Southern Beech - Nothofagus obliqua, N. dombeyi and N. alpina. The seed of these are small and, to collect these, we threw a line up in to the tree and gently shook the branches whilst the rest of the group help a large tarpaulin underneath to catch the seed (and generally getting covered in seed too). This area proved to be a great collecting site and we also gathered Aristotelia chilensis, Azara integrifolia and Chilean Hazel (Gevuina avellana).
Heading up the mountain we started to see the occasional Monkey-Puzzle. But, once we reached the mountain pass, we knew we were there. Its hard to describe how amazing it is to see these beautiful trees in their natural habitat. They are often described as looking prehistoric, but that’s the truth. You can really imagine dinosaurs wandering around amongst them. Some of these trees are massive and over 1000 years old. Truly a memory I will never forget.

Unfortunately time was pressing and we still had a long way to drive. So we carried on across this very strange lunar landscape covered in dinosaur trees, crossing the odd river as we went before arriving in Lonquimay. After dinner we laid siege to the Prumnopitys, cleaning our haul in my shower - it looked like a bomb had hit it. By the time we had finished the sink and shower drains were so blocked we had to pay to get a plumber in to fix it. From this moment on, all seed was cleaned outside!

25th March

Back in to Reserve Nacional Malalcahuello Nalcas, along another very dusty road. After a few wrong turns we asked for directions from a man walking down the road (we were in the middle of nowhere so heaven knows what he was doing there). We were quite high up around the level of the tree line. As usual the scenery was stunning - snow capped volcanos, mountain tops coloured grey and black, with Monkey Puzzles towering above the Nothofagus just starting their autumn colour show. Carrying on through this incredible landscape, each turn of a corner was even more spectacular than the last. We finally stopped to collect one of the tiny alpine plants (Loasa nana) - it is unbelievable how these delicate looking plants survive up here (1850m a.s.l). This has to be the most amazing spot I have ever collected from; surrounded by three volcanoes, huge old lava flow, Monkey-Puzzles and an Andean Condor flying overhead. I cant get across in words what it was like, so just check out the pictures. Back in Lonquimay we had dinner made for us - steak and a very tasty Monkey-Puzzle mashed potato type thing washed down with white Chilean wine.

26th March

Lonquimay to Angol (via Temuco)

Just outside Lonquimay we had to wait to pass through the Tunnel of Roots. At 4538m it is the longest tunnel in South America. We didn’t mind the wait as we could gaze up at a huge glacier sitting above an Araucaria forest (oh, well!). Eventually we got to Temuco and stocked up on supplies, changed some money and bought a new camera. In the city there is a small nature reserve Cerro Ñielol. we stopped there to see if any of the Citronella mucronatum had seed. No luck this time, but really nice to see it anyway. From Temuco it was straight on to Angol.

27th March

Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta

Although we had already seen many Araucarias, today was special as it was the day that we would be collecting them. Nahuelbuta is one of the most important sites for Araucaria as it is its last coastal sanctuary of any size - man has destroyed all of the rest. Lots of it has been converted to Eucalyptus and Pine plantations. It is also very important as the trees here are genetically different from all the Andean ones.

The park covers an area of just under 7000 hectares and reaches 1600m. Unfortunately this population is highly threatened. Eucalyptus and Pine plantations surround the whole park and every time there is a fire in these plantations (due to forestry practises) it eats away at a bit more of the forest. As well as the Araucarias, the park is also home to many endemic plants as well as cougars, Darwin’s Fox and many bird species.

The problem with Araucarias is that the seed is not storable for very long (recalcitrant) unlike many species that can be stored in the Millennium Seed Bank. The way to help preserve these trees is through ex-situ conservation by growing the trees at gardens like Bedgebury and Wakehurst Place. The seed collected from Nahuelbuta will therefore be grown at the gardens and form the core of the South American section of the Bedgebury Conifer Conservation Project.
The cones of the Araucarias are at the top of the tree and difficult to reach. Tthe locals use shotguns to shoot the cones down to harvest the seed (due to health and safety reasons this wasn’t an option for us). Fortunately, when ripe, the seeds just fall from the cones - so a throw-line and tarpaulin was perfect for bringing the seed down. We had a fantastic day collecting seed form a range of trees to try and capture as much genetic diversity as possible. Collections were also made form Nothofagus dombeyi, Escallonia virgata and a tiny Hypericum. One of the most interesting plants that we saw here was Desfontainia spinosa. The normal variety looks similar to Holly, with lovely tubular orangey red flowers with a yellow tip. But the variety here was chilensis. The flowers were a stunning bright red. Apparently this variety isn’t found growing in gardens in the UK, which is a great shame. Unfortunately no seed was found!

28th March

Angol to Chillan on to Recinto

A short three hour drive through north up through Chillan, then east towards the small town of Recinto. This was the furthest north we had been and we were now in Region VII. We pulled in to a lay-by alongside the main road. Just off the edge of the road we found a great site with a bank running down to a dry river bed (in winter it looked as if it would hold quite a bit of water). Far from the most scenic site we had visited, it did have several species that we hadn’t seen yet (that we really wanted to collect), Eucryphia glutinosa, Podocarpus salignus and a very pretty pink flowered Lapageria.

This was our last night together with our Chilean colleagues so we finished the day with a BBQ and a few ales.

29th March

Today was our last day collecting so we really wanted to get off to a good start. Darrian knew a site where could get a few of our target species. So we drove off, stopping to see a really interesting cactus hugging the ground and a beautiful blue Nothofagus dombeyi. After a bit more driving it became apparent that our luxury 4x4 didn’t have the grunt to get up this 'road', so we made a quick change of plan and drove up the mountain to the ski lodge at Las Trancas.

Disappointingly we didn’t see anything on the way up. But on the way down Jo spotted a load of spiky plants on a very steep mountainside above us. On closer inspection they turned out to be Puya alpestris - a truly bizarre sight, with tufts of spiky silver leaves and flower spikes nearly 2m tall and, most importantly, good seed - the best possible note to finish on. We also collected Orites myrtoidea and Maytenus boaria. Back to the Cabañas in Recinto to pick up the last of the seed we had left to dry (and our washing) and then 'adios, amigos' to our travelling companions for the last three weeks and suddenly it had come to an end. Back into the car for the final trek back to Temuco.

30th and 31st March

The 30th was really a day just to relax, sort out notes and give the car a very well deserved clean before boarding the plane for our flight home on the 31st.

All in all it was the trip of a life time - 2500 miles by car, four days travelling around by boat, more volcanoes than you can shake a stick at, great company, amazing scenery, great collections of seed for long-term conservation in the Millennium Seed Bank, Bedgebury, Westonbirt, Wakehurst Place and Kew.

I can't wait to start sowing the seed and watch them grow.

A massive thanks to the Friends of Bedgebury, the Forestry Commission and the Royal Horticultural Society for all their support in making this amazing trip possible for me.

Parque Nacional Puyehue

2009-04-06T13:04:00.001+01:00

22nd March

Our guide Darrian met up with us and we drove back up to the viewpoint overlooking Casablanca Volcano. Unlike yesterday the weather was perfect and we had stunning views over the Andes. Although we had been to Parque Nacional Puyehue yesterday, Darrian's local knowledge was invaluable. He showed us loads plants we had missed and put names to the photos of the alpines we had collected.

The Nothofagus were covered with seed, so out came the tarpaulin. After much shaking of branches we had a massive collection of seed for The Forestry Commission and the Millennium Seed Bank. Other good collections were made from Maytenus disticha, the climbing Hydrangea serratifolia, Embetrum rubrum and the small but very beautiful Viola reiche with its golden yellow flowers. That evening back at the Cabañas we had a session of squashing and mushing fruit in buckets of water (technically known as seed cleaning) before heading out for a bite to eat and a few well earned pints!

23rd March

Another long travel day lay ahead of us with a quick stop off to look at a Chilean Fire Bush (Embothrium coccineum). This plant is very special as it is one of the fabled yellow flowered forms. Even better, it had a few seedpods on. So we collected a small amount - fingers crossed that it germinates. The rest of the journey passed uneventfully until we got to just outside Melipeuco (our home for the night). Everyone was buzzing as we got our first glimpse of the Monkey-Puzzle Trees (Araucaria) on the ridges of the surrounding mountains. This was one of the plants at the top of our list of must-sees for the trip and we could hardly wait to see them up close and personal tomorrow.

Heading up into the Andes

2009-04-03T16:50:00.001+01:00

21st March

After finding some accommodation in Entre Lagos, we headed up in to the Andes to Parque Nacional Puyehue. We met up with the park ranger and showed him our permits to collect. After a few phone calls he gave us permission. The drive up through the forest was very interesting. We saw some big old Saxegothaea conspicua, but unfortunately no cones. Our aim was to get up around the top of the tree line and see what we could find.

Fortunately there was a ski resort up on the mountain so the road ran all the way to the top to a viewpoint that promised stunning views looking out to the Andes and on to Argentina and Casablanca Volcano. Unfortunately they were smothered in cloud. The views back down the mountain however were absolutely stunning and the autumn colour on the Southern Beech (Nothofagus) had just started. Above the tree line, surviving amongst the black volcanic rocks and stones, were tiny alpine plants eking out an existence in this harsh environment.

In the stunted forest on the upper slopes we made collections of Drimys andina and a diminutive relative of the Giant Rhubarb called Gunnera magellanica (similar in many ways but only a couple of inches high) and a beautiful Senecio with golden yellow daisy flowers. Another great day, finished off by a beautiful sunset.

Heading South

2009-04-01T10:56:00.000+01:00

18th March

Another beautiful morning greeted us as we headed further south to Parque Pumalin. Our boat picked us up and took us across the fjord, followed by a short ride in a Bedford van across a bumpy dirt track before our next boat ride of the morning. This took us across another fjord, where a trawler was fishing for sardines (we could see them all thrashing around in the net). Sea lions playing the water, beautiful snow-capped mountains - does it get any better than this?

Our destination is a tiny village called Caleta Gonzalo consisting of a café and a few beautiful cabañas made of Alerce (our home for the next two nights). The park is slightly controversial in Chile, as it is privately owned by American businessman turned conservationalist Douglas Tomkins (founder of North Face and Esprit). It covers nearly one million acres and runs from the coast up in to the Andes and the Argentinean border, basically splitting the country up. However, a massive area of pristine temperate rainforest is now safeguarded. We met up with staff from the park, who took us round and showed us where to find specific plants. The slight problem was that the park was closed due to the recent eruption of the Volcano Chaiten that was still very active and had destroyed a section of the only road through the park. Our guides had sorted out two trucks, one to pick us up on the other side of the broken road.

On route we saw the sight we had all really been looking forward to, the smoking top of the Volcano. We passed the base of it - amazing to see the trunks of all the dead trees in the surrounding area. The main aim of the day was to collect the conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum (the world's most southerly-growing conifer) a relative of the more commonly know Incense Cedar from western USA. It frequents wet boggy ground but, due to the very dry year, it was easy to collect. The most annoying thing was the mosquitos, who had a thirst for some new British blood! We harvested an excellent collection of seed (great for the Pinetum and the Millennium Seed Bank) and we headed onwards very happy and covered in bites!

We stopped in Chaiten for food and couldn’t believe the sight that met us - the town had been wiped out by flood water after the eruption and was now a virtual ghost town. The streets and houses were covered with a thick layer of grey ash, in the bay there were houses that had just been washed out in to the sea. This is a sight we will all never forget. Fortunately no one was killed, as everyone had been evacuated in time. A few people had moved back into the town and a couple of small stores were open for business - life goes on. Worryingly, the volcano is still smoking and who knows when it might erupt again! This was quite apparent as on the way back our guide stopped the pick-up to explain about the eruption and a new plume of smoke came out of the side of the volcano. Time to head back to Cabañas! As the park was shut we had the whole café to ourselves including the kitchen - great for cleaning seeds.

19th March

Today we went for a walk up through the rainforest; aptly named, as it was pouring down with rain along “waterfall walk”. It is very difficult to collect in closed forest as the seeds of the trees are usually in the canopy. As we found no clearings and no seed, we cut the walk short and moved on to another site. As this was a nice open site, we gathered seed from Ribes magellanicum, Escallonia rubrum and the white flowered Escallonia leucantha and Nothofagus dombeyi. A good end to the day.

20th March

Reluctantly we had to leave Parque Pumalin. Two days was nowhere near long enough to spend in such an amazing place, but we had other places to be and other species to collect. Today we had a long journey to Osorno. This involved an awesome half -hour boat ride, during which we saw loads of sea lions and a pair of sea otters before getting back into the cramped Bedford van. Then another boat back to Huinay, and another boat to Horopiren where we returned to the cars. Unfortunately the guys had left the lights on for the four days we had been away and the battery was completely dead. No jump leads, so they took the battery from our car and put it in theirs. This didn’t work, so we towed them to the only garage.

Our group headed onwards as we had to make a stop to collect the very beautiful but rare Chilean Lantern Tree. After about an hour of collecting much to our surprise the others (Marcello and Marcos) turned up saying they had charged the battery enough and it would be all right. They turned the ignition of and the car would not start again (turned out they had blown the fuse when they put our battery in their car). We left them and the car by the road and rushed to catch the last ferry (otherwise we would not be able to get to Osorno). This was the last we would see of them for three days. The rest of the journey was much less eventful and we rolled in to Osorno at 11.30pm after 14 hours of travelling.

Valdiva to Huinay - March 15-17

2009-03-23T09:12:00.000Z

17th March
HUINAY - Day 3

After the rain of yesterday we were grateful to wake to perfect sunshine and beautiful views of the fjord and mountainsides around us. Today we were going out in the boat around the edges of the forest and seeing what we could find. The day couldn’t have started better - at the jetty a dolphin was jumping out of the sea right in front of us.

We followed the shoreline looking out for seed instead we came across a colony of sea lions (as you do) sitting on the rocks. The views of the surrounding landscape were amazing. It was just like something out of Jurassic Park; impenetrable forests starting at sea level giving way to towering rocky outcrops and glaciers on the summits - a memory that will stay with me forever!

We made collections from the shore where permitted, but this was a first for me - making seed collections from the inside of a boat (not easy but great fun). The day ended with two dolphins swimming alongside the boat and the most beautiful sunset! When we got back we all had a meal with our hosts before giving presentations about the organisations we work for (finishing at 1am).

16th March
HUINAY - Day 2

Today was very cloudy and tipping down with rain. We were told that we were going on a hike up one of neighbouring mountains. The day started well with a really good collection of Berberis buxifloila before crossing the river in a rubber dingy. The walk up the mountain along an old loggers route can best be described as hard going! There were leeches a plenty and it was very hard to keep our moral up. At 800m (we started at sea level) we came across the beautiful pink tubular flowers of Philesia magellanica, huge patches of Desfontainea and Azara lanceolata. We made a small collection among the towering Alerces before calling it a day and heading back. In total we had been out walking for 12 hours.

15th March
TRAVEL FROM VALDIVIA TO HUINAY (Fundacion Huinay)

Today was a travel day. The drive was broken up by some stunning views of the odd volcano along the way. On reaching northern Patagonia we realised that it isn’t a simple matter of driving somewhere here. We had to catch ferries and at Hornopiren we had to leave the car for a two-hour boat ride in pouring rain and darkness. Feeling slightly apprehensive and not knowing what to expect, we packed all our gear onboard and headed out to sea. At 11pm we pulled up to the jetty of our home for the next two nights the Huinay Scientific Marine Institute - not quite the luxury we were expecting.

14th March
RESERVA COSTERA VALDIVIANA

Whilst packing up the car we noticed a large shard of wood sticking out between the tire and the rim of the wheel (Ben had hit a log pretty hard the day before!). So it was a quick tire change before going to a small remnant patch of forest on the coast. Walking through the rain forest we got a few glimpses of the surrounding area but when we came out a huge sand dune greeted us, towering 40m above us. It was very energy sapping climbing to the top, but the views at the top were stunning (there were even puma tracks).

Walking alongside the Pacific Ocean we saw many interesting plants and birds, making collections of Aextoxicon punctatum as we went. Our guides took us for lunch in a small local community before heading back to our cabañas (along the way we got to see a rocky outcrop covered with Humbolt Penguins). We made a short detour to collect Sophora microphylla along the side of a small lake before heading back to Valdivia.

13th March
RESERVA COSTERA VALDIVIANA

We travelled from Valdivia to Cheinway. Along the way we collected the beautiful Lobelia tupa and Baccharis on the roadside by a huge Eucalyptus plantation. A short stop was made to buy a few essentials in a local town unfortunately it was slightly longer than planned due to me rubbing my eyes and irritating them with the sap of Lobelia tupa that was still on my hands (I didn’t know it was an irritant!!!). Much screaming, eye wash and baby wipes later we headed back on our way. Strangely enough we also passed a submarine and the largest pile of woodchips I have ever seen (unfortunately this is mainly taken from native forest and shipped to Japan).

On arrival in Chaihuin we were greeted by staff from the park fed and given a short presentation about the park, before heading off in convoy to collect (the largest party I had ever been collecting with - 14 people in all). We made another collection of Fitzroya in the mist. We tried out the throw line to see if the Nothofagus nitida had any seed on but unfortunately none was found (maybe due to lack of vision in the mist). Lower down, the mist had lifted and we made a great collection from the Giant Rhubarb Gunnera tinctoria on a steep slope near the ranger station. After a lovely traditional meal with our hosts, we all slept well.

Alerce Costero National Monument - 12th March

2009-03-18T14:09:00.000Z

After a short drive from Valdivia along more seemingly endless dusty gravel roads through pine, Eucalyptus and occasional Sweet Chestnut plantations, we entered the park (via a few fords). This was to be our first opportunity to see the Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) - one of the oldest and largest conifers in the world and one of the most exploited trees in Chile. Because of its size and the fact that its timber is very durable and easily split, most of the trees have been logged out over the last century.

The timber was frequently used as roofing shingles and one of the first sights that greeted us was an old farm building with Alerce shingles. The drive through the park was fantastic, with lots of great plants. But the highlight had to be seeing Fuchsia magellanica with its beautiful flowers and the hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower. We were promised the chance to see an old Alerce during our visit, but nothing really prepared us for the tree we went to see. Standing 30m tall with a diameter of 4.6m and a circumference of 11.40m, it is estimated to be 3600 years old - making it the second oldest species in the world (after the Bristle Cone Pine from the USA).

Naturally thinking it would be great to grow seed from this individual, we got the throw line up in the tree - only to find it was male! Amongst stunning scenery the team made a really good seed bank collection of Alerce, utilising Ben's skills with the throw line and then shaking the branches onto a tarpaulin. We also collected the tiny insectivorous Sundew (Drosera uniflora) and the coniferous Podocarpus nubigenus. A truly great day!

Arriving in Chile - 7th March

2009-03-13T12:53:00.000Z

Stage one - Heathrow to Madrid, Madrid to Santiago, Santiago to Temuco, Temuco to Valdivia.

After a long but uneventful flight from Madrid we flew across Argentina and caught our first glimpse of the snow capped peaks of the Andes through the clouds. As we neared Santiago the cloud cleared and we got a fantastic view of the desolate moonscape, only broken by small patches of green where plants were just managing to eke out an existence in this harsh land. As the mountains gave way to plains, the familiar site of fields and towns appeared as green oases.

A brief stop in Santiago, then a short flight to Temuco where we got to step out of the airport for the first time - we had actually arrived in Chile! It was over 30 degrees and being British we were all inappropriately dressed in jeans, jumpers and trainers. Gratefully picking up a nicely air-conditioned 4x4, we wearily made our way out onto the highway towards Valdivia.

It was not what we expected. Instead of the temperate Chilean flora, we were greeted by a more antipodean feel of Eucalyptus and Acacia and the world's mostly commonly-planted species - Pinus radiata. Forester's heaven! All the hillsides were covered with these plants. Not very inspiring, until we saw the snow-capped Llaima Volcano (3125m) peaking out. Now we were really in Chile!