Arboretum planing – basic elements

Hi,

There may be differences between planning larege and small pinetums and mixed arboretums. However, at all such tree museums here (and I have been to one in France too) there are shops both to sell plants, trees and other garden centre type equipment and souvenir shops which have some kind of history of the site in book form. Often these are not cheap items but, with representation and for any volume, I suspect they can give a small discount. British ones may only take sterling and French ones Euros, I don’t know but it is best to look on their websites.

Here in Britain there is of course Kew Gardens near London and, for culinary/medical trees/plants, The Physic Garden in Chelsea, which is in London. There is also The Eden Project in Cornwall now entering it’s second phase, where trees are in environment specific domes and there is our national fruit collection at Brogdale, in Kent. The government agency The Forestry Commission runs arboretums in The New Forest (11th Century) where there are trees growing into one another and Westonbirt, near Gloucester. That one is the National Arboretum. A web search will find you many more but I think those places I have mentioned will best accommodate your initial needs.

I specialise in trees and what can be done with them and would be happy to answer any question – or even be employed to provide ideas if you can brief me. You can contact me on here but my ordinary email address is lesballard101@hotmail.co.uk. I sincerely hope that you can bring an arboretum to fruition where you are and would only ask that you consult with many nations re fire breaks and fire precautions and make them the most advanced in the world because of arson activity – and the plain stupidity of people who, often, should know better. Indeed, many commercial forests are closed in the summer and I would advocate moving tourists through main areas on a ride of some kind unless checked out and names registered while other areas have open access. Luv n Lite, Les Ballard.

The photo is of a 435 year old oak by a restaurant in Brittany, near te forest of Broceliande. The age is known because it is the same family that owns it now and so the name of the person who planted it is known too.