One of my favourite places ....

Ah my fine upstanding compadres....the subject today is Dendrology (the study of wooded plants, my dear old thing!).

If I had a chance to start again, then maybe I would have wanted to be a dendrologist...... but there again maybe not.

What I do know is that I like woods and trees - as did (thankfully) Bobby Holford when he planted his first tree at Westonbirt and founded the mighty arboretum...One of my favourite places.

Autumn - a great time to visit

...and interesting stuff

Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, is renowned worldwide for its tree and shrub collection. It contains nearly 16,000 specimens, including almost half of those woody plants known to grow in the world's temperate climate zone, and covers 600 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Its importance is recognised by English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historical Interest as a Grade 1 registered Landscape.

Westonbirt Arboretum was established in 1829 by wealthy landowner Robert Holford, and later developed by his son, George Holford. Much of Westonbirt's renowned autumn colour is often credited to Sir George's plantings of Japanese maples between 1875 and 1900, many of which are still alive today. Unlike many arboreta, Westonbirt is laid out according to aesthetic appeal rather than scientific or geographical criteria, and the Holfords' legacy is open for all to enjoy - a beautiful, relaxing and unique day out amongst some of the tallest, oldest and rarest trees and shrubs in Britain.

Westonbirt is home to the National Japanese Maple (acer) Collection, with over 200 different types in the collection. The Forestry Commission opened Westonbirt Arboretum to the public in 1961, and in 1966 a new Acer Glade was established alongside the original one planted by Robert and George Holford in 1870.