by Chris Reynolds, Curator of the National Pinetum
Winter 2009/10
In many ways winter is my favourite season in the Pinetum. The conifers really come into their own when other plants and trees are hibernating - giving us a chance to see the wood from the trees. The broadleaves in the collection also look dramatic, for instance the white of the birches contrasting with the green of the Leyland cypress hedge. Winter is an opportunity to look at the trees when they haven't got their clothes on. You can really see their architecture - their structure and scale and bark formation. This edition of the Winter Trail looks particularly at bark in its many forms.
We are hopeful that this winter will also be a good one for wildlife. The bumper crop of fruit will hopefully attract the Hawfinches, regular visitors to the Pinetum, as well as Fieldfares, Redwings and perhaps even Waxwings if there is a cold spell. Unlike deciduous trees, conifers provide birds with year round shelter.
Winter is also a good opportunity for using GPS to map the tree collection. It is more effective when there is less dense foliage cover, giving better access to satellite links. Julian, our Tree Team Supervisor, carries out much of his tree survey work in winter; monitoring fungi on trees, and undertaking structural inspections for cracks, holes cavities, and, of course, residents. He now has his bat licence and an endoscope.
We are also doing more felling, clearing and planting round the Visitor Centre. By thinning out the chestnuts we can open up the back of the building to more sunlight, both to brighten it up and to encourage new growth. We want to use this area as a showcase for conifers, particularly varieties that will work well in anyone's garden. We will also plant other species for spring and autumn colour and scent, to give our visitors an impressive first taste of the collection. Unlike much of nature, the Pinetum and its team of human custodians do not hibernate in winter!
Autumn 2009
Seed is at its most mature and fertile in autumn, making it the optimum time for plant-hunting. We are currently planting out material collected between 2006 and 2008, from east and west coast USA, Japan and Tasmania - including 300 trees into our conifer conservation plots. A lot of our current planting is for aesthetic effect, to maximise seasonal interest. 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.
Summer 2009
We have been planting various native aquatic species in and around the lake by the Visitor Centre, alongside the tupelo and swamp cypress that went in two years ago. As well as improving its appearance, the vegetation also offers a habitat for wildlife.
Bedgebury is currently buzzing with wildlife. Keep a look out for reptile and amphibian activity - particularly toads, frogs, newts and grass snakes around the lake and slow worms and common lizards amongst the dwarf conifers. We are in the middle of a reptile monitoring survey on behalf of the Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group. Dragonflies and damselflies are also abundant.
Wild flowers are thriving in the grassland areas - ox-eye daisies, yellow rattle, birdsfoot trefoil; which in turn helps to attract butterflies. Don't miss the common spotted orchids along the juniper bank, easy to spot with the big black blotches on their leaves.
It promises to be a bumper year for cones, especially on the larches and firs (we are planning an exhibition of cones in the Education Room this summer). There are indications that 2009 could prove to be a 'mast year' - an especially good seed year with lots of evidence of vigorous plant reproduction
Spring 2009
Having had the first genuinely cold spell of winter weather for some years, it will be interesting and valuable to discover which of our more tender species have survived, particularly those collected in Southern Hemisphere areas such as New Zealand, Tasmania and South Africa.
We are always looking to push the boundaries of what we can grow in the Pinetum and failures can often teach us more than successes. Some of these trees have been planted for three or four years but have not faced really wintry conditions until now. Our spring plantings, especially the more experimental species, will have the warmer summer months to settle in and establish.
One benefit of the cold snap is that it has hopefully killed off the greenfly and other aphids that have attacked the collection after recent mild winters, particularly stripping the needles off the spruces. They should be looking healthier this spring.
Winter 2008
The drier weather in early autumn gave us the chance to complete some of the conservation work on the Pinetum grasslands. Removing the cut grass gives wild flowers a better chance of establishing and spreading over forthcoming years. We have also left some areas of grassland long, for the benefit of insects and wildlife.
We have planted around 300 trees in the Pinetum this autumn, with another 200 plantings in the Plots area as part of the Conifer Conservation Project (CCP). Notable amongst these is the endangered Callitris oblonga (itals for latin name) or South Esk Pine, which is rarely seen growing in cultivation in the UK. Our propagator Dan Luscombe originally collected the seed during his visit to Tasmania in 2005 and grew it on in the Pinetum nursery. A small multi-stemmed tree with foliage ranging from dark green to grey blue, it now makes up part of the CCP's Australasia zone.
Winter is the time when we catch up on some routine maintenance around the Pinetum. Jobs include repairs to gates and fences, labelling of plants, and the occasional removal of trees for reasons of aesthetics or safety - which in turn creates space for more planting, as well as new vistas.
Autumn 2008
The Tree Team has been clearing the chestnut coppice around the Visitor Centre to create room to expand the conifer collection and to create a gateway into the Pinetum.
All but one of the basket plantings in the lake has flushed (all three Water Tupalo and four of the five Swamp Cypresses). It's an encouraging start and we'll continue to monitor their progress over the winter months.
If you come across wooden stakes surrounded by a circle of dead grass, please don't disturb them. These are the locations of our next plantings. Each stake is marked with a tree name and number. Watch these spaces turn into trees towards the end of September and early October.
Propagator Dan Luscombe is busy potting up seedlings from seed collected in Australasia and South America, which will form an important part of the Conifer Conservation plantings in the Plots area.
Dan and I are currently in China helping field staff from the Wuhan and Shanghai Botanic Gardens to investigate the conservation issues facing Thuja sutchuenensis and Picea neoveitch., as part of a project with Fauna & Flora International (FFI). With our focus on conifers and unique links into the Forestry Commission's bilateral agreement with China, we could be looking at a long-term strategy of assistance in conserving China's wonderful flora.
Summer 2008
As Curator, I need to know exactly what I have in my collection. We have just completed a physical audit of all the living trees in the collection and the total number currently stands at 9194. Having a working list helps me to identify what species we are missing and increase the efficiency of any future collecting.
We have also nearly completed the mapping of the collection. The next task is to make sure all the trees are correctly labelled. By the autumn we should be able to integrate our Geographical Information System (GIS) with our database. Eventually, we hope to use the internet to locate every tree at Bedgebury.
As well as monitoring the existing collection, we have planted 813 new trees, most notably Rimu or Dacrydium cupressinum. A new species for Bedgebury, it normally grows in the warmer conditions of New Zealand. So we are trying it out in our climate as one of our growing list of 'experimental' trees.
After the Scouts' planting day last autumn, our Conifer Conservation Programme is entering its next phase. We have finalised the route round the geographical zones. Over the summer we will continue the preparation work; including thinning, putting in the access route, drainage, fencing, de-stumping and ground preparation.
Spring 2008
Spring is our first chance to see if all the trees planted last year have survived the winter. They receive lots of TLC in the nursery; being planted out and having to grow in often less than perfect conditions can come as a shock. But we don't lose many!
On average we plant around 550 trees per annum. Typically only 15 or so may not survive the first year. The main reasons for failure are heavy frosts, damage by animals and a few thefts. Sometimes they die for no obvious reason.
We are always experimenting with new plants and pushing the accepted boundaries for plant survival. Our goal is to grow all the conifer species that will survive in our climate. Climate change has meant that we are already seeing survival in trees that are classified as sub tropical.
Bedgebury is a test bed for new species. So keep your eyes open for some unique and wonderful new trees.
Winter 2007
The Bedgebury Conifer Conservation Project
A new and exciting project to redevelop and replant the Plots Area of Bedgebury's National Pinetum is now underway. The old plots, near the Forestry Commission office, were badly damaged by the great storm of 1987 and many of the trials started there in the 1920s have now finished and the trees harvested.
The new plantings, which will be divided into six geographical areas (Europe & North Africa, Australasia, North, South and Central America and Asia), will reinforce Bedgebury's growing reputation in the international scientific field of plant conservation, particularly with the increasing threats posed by pollution, de-forestation and climate change.
The project will help forge even stronger links with other important UK botanic gardens as well as building on international relations fostered with China, Europe, Australia and the USA. The talk given earlier this year by curator Chris Reynolds at the Global Botanic Gardens Congress in Wuhan, China has given us access to many collections around the world.
Each species will be represented by between 250 and 500 trees of known origin. This will provide a wide pool of genetic material that will be available to other botanic gardens. Eventually the trees will be reintroduced to the wild.
Autumn 2007
Dan Luscombe, the National Pinetum's Propagator and Assistant Curator, has been on his travels again this autumn.
Bosnia & Serbia
In September he completed a six-day visit to Bosnia and Serbia to re-evaluate the conservation status of the threatened Serbian Spruce Picea omorika, using IUCN (World Conservation Union) conservation categories. With the recent unrest in former Yugoslavia, it has not been possible to access natural populations of this conifer species until now. As a result, its status may now be raised from vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild) to critically endangered (facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild).
Whilst there, Dan made seed collections from this and other species, as September is normally the optimum time for seed collecting. As well as the National Arboreta (Bedgebury and Wetonbirt), these will go to the Millennium Seed Bank and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
West Coast USA
In October Dan repacked his bag and headed to the US West Coast with Pinetum Supervisor Julian Dormady to collect more tree seed. The trip to California and Oregon was a joint expedition with the Millennium Seed Bank (based at Wakehurst Place and managed by Kew).
This was the first time the National Arboreta had undertaken a field trip with other partners. Dan and Julian's role was to provide specialist conifer knowledge and tree climbing skills so that threatened conifer seed could be collected and banked at Wakehurst. Of course they have also brought back new material to enrich the botanical collections at Bedgebury, Westonbirt and a number of other FC Arboreta.
One of the National Pinetum’s main aims is to grow all the temperate conifer species from wild-collected plants. The US trip has filled important gaps in the collection, helping to deliver the accessions policy. It has also offered the chance to build a close working relationship with RBG Kew, develop new collecting techniques and protocols, study plant species in their natural habitat and raise the profile of the International Conifer Conservation Project at Begebury.
Dig, dig, dig! - Scouts’ Centenary planting at Bedgebury
Local Scouts, Cubs and Beavers teamed up with Bedgebury National Pinetum and the Woodland Trust, to plant two hundred endangered Chilean Plum Yews on Saturday 6th October, to coincide with National Conifer Week.
This was part of a nation-wide ‘Scouts For Trees’ initiative launched by The Woodland Trust and The Scout Association to give the 400,000 Scouts in the UK the chance to plant a tree to mark the Centenary of Scouting in 2007.
Chris Reynolds, Curator of the National Pinetum explains; "These plantings mark the start of a long-term conifer conservation project to plant thousands of trees from all over the world in the Pinetum. This living gene bank will help ensure the long-term survival of endangered trees".
"The day focussed on planting the first trees in our South American area, " continues Chris. "First we showed each Scout group how we propagate the trees in our nursery. Then we took them up to the planting site and talked about why trees are threatened and why they need our help. Then finally they each helped to plant a tree. Every tree planter received a certificate with the name of the tree and its number, so that they can come back and see how it grows. It’s a great opportunity for young people to learn about and engage in woodland conservation."
230 Scouts from thirteen packs across Sussex and Kent took part in the plantings.
Autumn in the Pinetum
Another important theatre of operations is the roadside area of Churchill Wood. This clearance work has two main purposes. On the one hand, the removal of invasive Rhododendron ponticum, birch and laurel will allow new planting of groups and single specimens over the next twelve to eighteen months, to create a shop window for the national conifer collection. It will also improve visibility, and therefore road safety, on the B2079.
Summer 2007
National Pinetum Curator Chris Reynolds has recently returned from the third Global Botanic Gardens Congress in Wuhan, China. At the invitation of the organisers (Botanic Gardens Conservation International), Chris and Hugh Angus (the National Arboreta’s Head of Collections based at Westonbirt) gave two papers at the conference. The first was on the Conifer Conservation Plots Project at Bedgebury. The second examined findings from a joint project between the NA, BGCI & Flora and Fauna International (FFI), looking at the conservation work being undertaken on the forty five most threatened conifers in China. They also facilitated a meeting of the Global Trees Campaign.
"The world’s major botanic collections are members of BGCI and assist in putting together international polices;" explains Chris. "The BGCI document of International importance is the ‘Global Strategy for Plant Conservation’. This has become a key document in establishing our management policies within the National Arboreta."
Chris and Hugh also took part in a number of field trips with Chinese colleagues, to discuss the potential for seed supply and plan a possible collecting trip in 2008.
"Direct observation of Chinese plants growing in the wild will help us to propagate these plants in our own collections. It will also identify the conservation actions required for the long-term survival of these plants," says Chris.
Spring 2007
Spring is the time of year when everything comes back to life, the transition from dormancy to new flush. If 2007 reflects the previous spring the absence of late frosts will mean an abundance of berries and blossoms.
It is a time to study the fine detail around the Pinetum. Conifers produce very colourful male and female cones/flowers, especially the Spruce. Rhododendrons start to burst into life, alongside anemones, sorrel, daffodils, and bluebells. The dabchicks return to the lake, insects and birds start to fill the air with song.
At this time of year the Tree Team start to plant out the more tender species, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere. The fruits of seed collecting trips to New Zealand, Tasmania and Chile, these include Eucalyptus, dacrocarpus, afrotaxus, Vietnamese Golden Cypress and Monkey puzzle. They will be planting out several Mexican Pines that have been growing in the nursery. The climate may be too harsh but it is worth experimenting.
Clearing the non-native and very invasive Rhododendron Ponticum has revealed several hidden gems. "The Pinetum is never static." Says Chris Reynolds. "Plants are moved to better locations. It ‘s gardening on a large and long-term scale."
Winter 2006/7
One of the most important aspects of managing the National Pinetum at Bedgebury is the acquisition of new species and the replacement of old or non-verified specimens. With this in mind, and following in the footsteps of the great plant hunters of yesteryear, Curator Chris Reynolds and Propagator Dan Luscombe have just returned from a rigorous but fascinating month in the eastern states of America.
In the course of 30 days Chris and Dan covered 4,500 miles, visited nine states and collected tens of thousands of seeds from 230 different species. One to two thousand plants will end up in the Pinetum and seed collected on the trip has also been donated to several other collections; notably Kew, Westonbirt, Hilliers Arboretum and the Millenium Seedbank at Wakehurst Place.
Autumn 2006
National Pinetum Curator Chris Reynolds and Propagator Dan Luscombe are currently on a month-long plant hunting trip to eastern USA. They will be collecting wild-sourced material from known provenance. "We are collecting material from areas that match the environmental conditions at Bedgebury;" says Chris. "Concentrating on species that are at present poorly represented in the Pinetum." Dan will also be speaking at a conference in Ohio.
Meanwhile, the Tree Team will be carrying out a major planting programme this autumn throughout the Pinetum - mostly conifers, but also broadleaves to add colour and structure and to increase the collection’s age diversity. They will also be clearing areas and removing obsolete trees to give more important specimens the chance to thrive.
Summer 2006
The Tree Team is currently focusing on future sites for planting, clearing Rhododendrons and opening up new ground, particularly in the spruce area round Dallimore Valley. They are also in the middle of a major tree audit, using the GPS to plot trees in the Pinetum against the existing database. This will eventually tell us the exact number and location of all the trees in the collection. As well as being an important academic resource, this will play a key role in future planting and landscaping plans. The audit should be finished by the end of summer and the mapping by March 2007. Results will ultimately be available to the general public via the internet.
Winter 2005
The Tree Team are currently concentrating on caring for five to ten year old trees; re-caging, re-mulching and weeding. Most of the pre-Christmas planting schedule is now complete. The next batch of planting will take place in the Spring, including horticultural experimentation with several non-hardy varieties. In the meantime, the team will be fully occupied with the new project; fencing, sign-posting and soft landscaping around the visitor centre, car park and new entrance.
After a successful collecting trip to Sicily in September, our globe-trotting Assistant Curator Dan Luscombe has just returned from 23 days in Turkey with staff from RBG Edinburgh and Westonbirt, where he advised Nezahat Gokyigit Botanic Gardens on collecting and propagating techniques. Together they collected over 200 items of conifer, oak and rhododendron, including rare Juniper and Cedar of Lebanon seeds and herbarium specimens. He then flew to Oregon, to lecture to the American Conifer Society on ‘Conifers of the Southern Hemisphere’ and, on his return, spoke on the same topic to the Kew Mutual improvement Society - comprising over 100 Friends, staff and students.
