Autumn in the archives
It is the group of Euomymus oxyphyllus along Loop Walk that signal to me that autumn is on the way as they tend to start colouring in September.
“It was at this season that Sir George and Lady Holford especially loved to have their gardening friends with them, and the ‘colour parties’ have for many autumns past been an institution at Westonbirt.”
(Trees & shrubs at Westonbirt, 1927, AB Jackson)
My main job is to manage the information on our current collection of specimen trees and shrubs – what are they and where are they.
This information is made available to the public via the interactive map.
Along with a team of volunteers we try to keep the specimens labelled.
I occasionally work on our reception desk and get a short spell of being asked ‘What will the autumn colour be like?’ and ‘When is the best time to come?’
Our general rule of thumb is that the best time is the last two weeks in October and possibly into November.
Can I put together what I know from the information I am sent from the Met Office and the information in the Westonbirt archives to help answer these questions?
The Holfords no doubt knew when to invite their gardening friends as the Westonbirt Visitor book for 1922 shows.
The first three signatures Bean, Balfour and Jackson were definitely important ‘tree’ people. And the dates 17 -19 October would tie in with the thoughts of the ‘curator’ Mr W J Mitchell on the best time for autumn colour.
W J Mitchell noted 16 October as the on average the best time for colour and was constantly wondering what affected the colour. The general feeling being that sunshine was a factor. Following a hot dry summer:
“The autumn coloring of 1928 was exceptionally good but disappointing in that they last so short a period. The opinion was generally expressed that they were probably quite a week earlier than is usual. Sunday October 7th was undoubtedly the best Sunday …One other tree I must specially mention that is Parrotia persica, they were so good we called it a Parrotia year.”
(Mitchell notebooks 1927 to 1947)
The leaf colour can range from yellow to purple with all the ranges in between.
What might this year's weather forecast?
We have wide variety of plants at Westonbirt from different parts of the world. So it is likely that they will tolerate and even thrive in different types of weather.
W J Mitchell notes that Parrotias (Persian Ironwood) like the sun but Cercidyiphyllum (Katsura) and Acers on the whole prefer wetter conditions.
So this year I would expect good colour from the Acers and not so good for the Parrotia.
From what I have seen so far individually the Acers have been glorious particularly the reds. Follow Director Simon Toomer's blog to see how these are doing.
One thing I look out for as autumn progresses is the larches in Maple Loop. They have done their job of providing gentle shade for the Acers and give a splendid display themselves as the leaves turn to yellow.
“Autumn 1939. Because of the dull summer we did not anticipate a very good season for the autumn colouring this year, but on the whole it has been magnificent”
“Autumn 1946. The earlier colouring trees and shrubs like Acer saccharum, rubrum japonicum ver: vitifolium, prunus Sargentii euonymus oxyphyllus and planipes were exceptionally good this autumn, … there was quite a fine show, but quite a fortnight later than usual. The dull summer, wet August and September was the cause of this. Frost was negligible with the exception of one or two mornings in October and there was a fine show of colour until well into November.. On the 6 Nov: the colouring was extraordinary for what we think so late in the season. In fact in some notes I made on this date, the whole place was still quite beautiful and much colour remaining. On the 10 th of Nov: Acer Davidii …was a mass of yellow and Acer Maximowiczii a mass of tangerine, a fascinating shade and wonderful. The old trees of Acer griseum just starting to turn.
(Mitchell notebooks 1927 to 1947)
Given that we are probably generally later now due to a general rise in temperature, we might expect the colour to run well into November. But that depends on the wind and frost.
But what about other times of the year?
Spring
In fact my favourite time here is the spring with all the different colours of the new leaves. Like those in Lime Avenue:
“Acers, cercidiphyllums- In their spring state to me thy are as beautiful as in Autumn, the Many and varied shades of delicate greens, bronzy reds and purples are always very much admired and justly so. No other family of trees or shrubs can approach the Acers in spring,”
(Mitchell notebooks 1927 to 1947)
What might the future impact of this years’ wet weather be?
The warm and dry April and the subsequent rain has meant that rhododendrons in particular have put on good growth.
A good example being the Rhododendron smirnowii planted this year along Circular.
The seed for these plants were collected in Turkey by our propagator Penny Jones in 2005. Also in the same area is Rhododendron ‘Daphne Millais’ propagated by layering.
“Summer 1936 proved to be the wettest July at Westonbirt since a record has been kept 1888. … moisture loving plants found it very much to their liking and such things as rhododendrons and conifers simply revelled. The maples also found it to their liking, they made exceptional growth, and if we get a good autumn for colouring they should be very fine.
The rhododendrons and azalias also enjoyed all this moisture immensely, especially the atmospheric moisture and made marvellous growth. A fine autumn to ripen this growth and they should be a sight next spring.”
(Mitchell notebooks 1927 to 1947)
So we could be in for a splendid spring in 2013. Fingers crossed for a mild winter.
"Spring 1937. The idea, which for so long has been prevalent, that a sunless summer would be followed by a flowerless spring, has been proved this year to be quite incorrect. Yet the spring of 1937 was as floriferous as the spring of 1936, which was preceded by a very hot and dry summer.
So another of the old ideas has been proved a fallacy. Some day some interested scientist will perhaps discover for us what essentials are needed, other than sunshine and ripened wood to produce floriferousness the following year, we have always thought these two essential, that they are not necessary has been proved to the hilt this year.
The ornamental cherries have never flowered more freely …but the most spectacular thing of all was Davidia Involucrata …it has never flowered with such prodigality before, and the name of the Ghost tree which one sometimes hears it called was this year an appropriate one, as it appeared almost ghostly in its whiteness.
The Azalias were masses of bloom and very much admired. It will probably be years before the Rhodos and Azalias flower with the freedom they have this year, .. Magnolias were grand and lasted for weeks."
(Mitchell notebooks 1927 to 1947)
Main Drive in the Holford era used to be called Rhododendron Drive. I can imagine Sir George taking one of his visitors, even a royal one, for a drive around the arboretum.
"14.5.44 Their Majesties Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the 2 Princesses, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret came today. The azaleas were at their best and some of the earlier rhododendrons were also very fine The Magnolia above Ponting’s Box, was magnificent and very much admired by the Royal Party."
Not all the colours at Westonbirt are provided by the flowers. Sometimes our visitors bring us some.
And sometimes we add our own…
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