Autumn at Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswold countryside

It’s the setting as much as the collection of trees that makes Batsford Arboretum special. The elevated site gives long views over the Cotswold countryside while sloping ground allows you to look down on the display, giving a unique perspective. Whether it be against clear skies on a crisp autumn morning or with low-hanging mist in the air, the experience is magical.

For head gardener and assistant director Matthew Hall, it’s a display that always offers something new, even after 21 years at Batsford.

‘Each year there’ll be something that I’ll think ‘You know what, that’s pretty impressive’ and you’ll see something different each time,’ he says.

Long views over the Cotswold countryside are one of the features of the arboretum. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Among the highlights are the crimson hues of Japanese cherries – the arboretum has more than 200 trees with around 60 different cultivars and holds a National Collection.

Then there are the acers whose leaves are turning gold, red and orange and no autumn visit is complete without catching the candyfloss scent of the katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum). Its foliage goes pink, yellow and orange while the burnt sugar scent carries for some distance.

‘It’s incredible,’ says Matt, who heads up the three-strong gardening team at the site near Moreton-in-Marsh.

Acer palmatum 'Elegans' glows in the early light. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Although the Batsford estate dates back centuries, the arboretum, which is now run by a charitable trust, has its roots in the late 19th century when Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, who became the 1st Baron Redesdale, inherited it.

He worked for the government in China, Japan and Russia, developing a love for oriental-style gardens that he brought back to Batsford.

‘He didn't want the raked gravel effect, the clean, crisp shape,’ explains Matt. ‘He liked the wild effect. It was not as ‘kept’ as some would say.’ This was despite the estate employing more than 100 gardeners within the arboretum and walled garden.

The Foo Dog is just one of many Japanese-inspired features. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Among the things Lord Redesdale planted were bamboos – a few are still in the arboretum today – while the oriental influence can be clearly seen in the Japanese rest house, decorative red bridges and statues including a bronze Buddha, Japanese deer and a Foo Dog.

One of his biggest contributions was the creation of the 600m-long water course that snakes its way through the arboretum, past the Pulhamite rockery bridge, ending in a grotto, waterfall and the Coldwell Lake.

The second major influence on Batsford was the 2nd Baron Dulverton, who inherited the by then overgrown wild garden in 1956.

The Japanese-style decorative red bridge. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Trees and forestry were a passion for him and he began to develop Batsford as an arboretum, collecting and planting rare and unusual trees and developing many collections, including magnolia, oak and maple.

While it may be primarily a collection of trees with more than 2,800 planted, there’s a distinctly garden-like feel to the 68-acre Batsford, thanks to the team’s determination to both extend the season of interest and the selection of plants within each season.

‘It’s not just an arboretum,’ says Matt. ‘There’s a background of trees but we’re more than that.

The acers are stars of the autumn show. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) ‘The arboretum was built on autumn and I’ve extended the season from January through to autumn.’

He starts with what he calls the ‘lower canopy’ and works up from that. So, winter sees a sizeable display of snowdrops hellebores, witch hazel and daphne, giving way to daffodils and moving on to magnolias, cherry blossom and wildflowers.

There are shrubs to give mid-storey interest – recently, Matt has been planting more Hydrangea paniculata cultivars: ‘They’d become unfashionable and I thought they should be brought back in.

Spectacular colour glimpsed through the trees. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) ‘It’s mixing the arboretum with garden plants.’

Then, the trees themselves are used as ‘props’ for other things, such as a yew that supports an ornamental vine, Vitis flexuosa, collected in China.

‘It never fails. It’s just crimson red, acid yellow, and flame.’

One development has seen replanting at the entrance to the arboretum, known as Her Ladyship’s Walk. On the shady side of the path, there are winter stars, including snowdrops, winter aconites and daphnes for early scent. Opposite are the sun-lovers, such as hoherias from Tasmania, indigoferas, magnolia and Mexican philadelphus.

Scarlet colour on an acer. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Autumn for many gardeners means a constant battle to clear leaves but these are left on the ground at Batsford, helping to improve the soil, which has a bedrock of limestone – ‘Everything goes back into the trees’ – while those on the grass get picked up by mowers.

As part of the arboretum’s scientific work, it’s part of a project run by Edinburgh Botanic Garden designed to safeguard threatened species of the monkey puzzle tree. Batsford is just one site where trees that are endangered in the wild have been planted.

‘Part of our work is growing endangered plants and mixing them within the arboretum.’

Endangered species are just some of the around 70 new trees planted each year with the team taking a long view.

Acer palmatum 'Nicholsonii' turns shades of orange and yellow. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) ‘We’re constantly planting for the next 100 years or more, whether it’s developing windbreaks or new plantings within areas, taking out bigger trees, which are ailing and getting towards the end of their life, making room for new ones to go in.

‘We’re looking at trends in the weather, changing weather patterns and looking at planting for the future.

‘We may have some historic trees but an arboretum is not a museum. They don’t stay the same.’

Pink berries on Sorbus pseudohupehensis 'Pink Pagoda' (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Already, they’re beginning to grow things in sheltered parts of the arboretum that wouldn’t have been possible 10 or 15 years ago, including tender Magnolia doltsopa and Philadelphus affinis, which survived the cold winter of last year.

‘It’s all about knowledge of the grounds and planting locations. Fortunately, we’re aware of frost pockets where it could be colder in winter so tend to avoid those areas.’

In autumn though, it’s the firework array of colour that sees thousands of people visit – it’s now so popular tickets have to be booked in advance.

There's a garden-like feel to the layout of the arboretum. (Image: Mandy Bradshaw) Matt believes it gives as good a display as anything abroad: ‘If you’re not fortunate enough to go travelling, then Batsford is the best place to come and imagine what you could see in Japan or China or in America.’

And his tip for visitors? ‘Make more than one visit over autumn to capture the array of colours. Everything changes so quickly, you’ll be gifted a completely different scene that’s equally as beautiful over a matter of days. It’s a feast for the eyes.’

More information is on the website: https://batsarb.co.uk

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