Bedgebury Pinetum
’I love it here’ says Dan Luscombe, Curator of Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest. ‘I came as an apprentice twenty five years ago and have never left. I live here too.’ Wandering round this remarkable place it is easy to understand why he loves it so much.
Dan Luscombe, Curator of Bedgebury National Pinetum, Kent
One of the great treasures of Kent, if not England, Bedgebury is celebrating its centenary this year. The King made a special visit earlier in July.
Bedgebury was established in 1925 by the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the Forestry Commission as a joint enterprise. It was thought that the conifers were ailing in the London becuase of the horrendous smogs. Today it is home to more than 12,000 specimen trees – conifers and broad leaf trees – the split is 70/30. It is the largest conifer collection in the world. It also holds another 6 national plant collections.
The Visitor Centre at Bedgebury
At first the pinetum was run on a scientific basis. It was not open to the public. The original 315 trees transplanted from Kew Gardens were planted in species. The grouping of the genera were designed with the idea of inducing those best adapted to build up permanent shelter for others, at the behest of William Dallimore, the first Curator from 1925 until 1945. Over time this stricture has been relaxed – these days more attention is paid to the overall landscape aesthetic. The forest now has miles of trails for family cycling, walking, running and mountain biking. ‘The hardest thing is to keep open spaces so that there are vistas through.’
There are handwritten ledgers recording every tree and where it came from. There are also registers of all the seeds collected by William Dallimore. These records are now digitalised.
The pinetum is located in what was once the pleasure grounds surrounding Bedgebury Park. The estate has a long history. At one time it was owned by the Culpeper family. Elizabeth I visited in August 1573.
The main house dates in part to 1688 but was radically altered in the mid-19th century when it was aggrandised into a fantastical Victorian French chateau by Viscount Beresford. It was he who began the pinetum in the 1840s planting recently introduced exotic species alongside native trees and stands of oak. His heir, his stepson Alexander Beresford Hope developed Lady Mildred’s Drive for visitors to marvel at the trees from the comfort of a carriage. Many of the paths are the original paths through the pleasure grounds. In 1897 the estate was sold to Isaac Lewis, a city financier. The sales particulars note that ‘The Pinetum is a Charming Resort, stocked with rare conifers in full growth and health.’ In 1919 Isaac Lewis sells the estate to the Crown, principally for its timber vaule.
Glorious autumn colour at Bedgebury Pinetum, Kent
‘It can be difficult to sell conifers to everyone at times, even though they are the oldest trees in the world,’ admits Dan. But I guarantee anyone who spends time with him will be captivated. His enthusiasm and knowledge are highly infectious. I came away inspired to admire these often maligned trees.
I went on a very instructive organised walk during the busy summer half-term week. Despite the scores of visitors it is easy to find a tranquil spot away from the hordes. More than 500,000 people visit each year. We learned that there are 100 volunteers. ‘It would be very difficult to look after the pinetum without them as it becomes wild here very quickly.’
New trees are added every year. Any tree with a yellow label is one of the original 315 trees, of which 89 survive to these day. There are a lot of diverse habitats, making a good mosaic. Several different orchids including pyramidal, marsh and common spotted thrive in the conditions.
Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Aureomarginatum
The esoteric world of conifer growing is internationally collaborative. Dan travels all over the world meeting other conifer experts and collecting seeds (‘we don’t bring cuttings or plants back’). Seed is the cleanest way of bringing plants back to the UK. Japan, New Caledonia, Tasmania, Chile, Turkey, Malawi, New Zealand, Turkey and Bosnia are just a few of the countries he has visited.
The Lake, Bedgebury Pinetum, Kent
More than 2,000 tree and shrub seedlings are grown each year. Some are planted into the living collection and others are distributed to other botanic gardens and safe sites across the UK and Europe. For example, ‘we send seed to Edinburgh Botanic Garden and the RHS seed bank at Wakehurst Place is linked with all the botanic gardens in the country and abroad. We might propagate for other institutions if they don’t have a nursery.’ A lot of the seeds are critically endangered or almost extinct. Dan points out that there are magnificent specimens on his doorstep. They have been visiting local churchyards such as Ulcombe to conserve huge very ancient yews. Explaining that genetic material might be important in the future, ‘we are constantly testing methods. Some work, some don’t. There is a lot of trial and error.’
Once the seeds have gone through quarantine they are stored in a fridge. ‘Some keep for longer than others.’ They are woken up by stratifying them, giving them a bit of moisture with vermiculate, for example – anything that has a bit of moisture. ‘We mimic winter conditions, a bit of cold, a bit of rain, getting them ready to be woken up by the spring.’ The whole process is tightly temperature-controlled. The seeds are sown in airpots in the greenhouses.
The Dell filled with azaleas and rhododendrons
‘What I love about my job is that it connects me to the past and the future. In one hundred years’ time many of the trees will still be here.
The last word rests with William Dallimore –
‘Added to its other interests, the pinetum has a peculiarly beautifully setting and is attractive to people who have neither very decided botanical nor arboricultural interests but are alive to natural beauty.’ A diary entry of 1945.
