It is with sadness we report the passing of John Ravenscroft in May this year. His wife Elizabeth predeceased him in 2022 and the founders of the arboretum are no longer there to see their creation grow and flourish, but flourish it does. Even in this harsh year of drought the trees have become further established, with the stronger among them beginning to command the landscape and reveal its original conception. Every year that slow exposition is a delight to observe. John’s prescience was shown by his practice of deliberately over-planting in anticipation of losses, his choice of hardy species for exposed positions, and the irrigation works which made it possible to water every tree on the site – a requirement which must have seemed unlikely when they were installed nearly 20 years ago, but which have been invaluable this summer.
John died six months short of his 90th birthday and lived to see a fine display of magnolia and cherry blossom, probably our best ever. He was able to greet visitors to the Spring open days and to address members of the International Dendrological Society when they attended a prunus study day in the last weeks of his life; a swansong. The appreciation of visitors never failed to delight him, and those occasions crowned a distinguished horticultural career stretching back to the 1950s. John received many tributes for his work at the arboretum and at Bridgemere before it, including the Victoria Medal of Honour from the RHS, of which he was a lifelong servant. But it was the plants that mattered most to him. These live on, along with the inspiration he gave to many others who followed the same path.
The family have been touched by the many kind comments and letters of condolence we have received, and extend our thanks for all of them. Our parents left a creation which will outlive us all: a thing of beauty and scholarly interest, and of public worth. It is a testament to their energy and vision, to the horticultural tradition they revered, and to a remarkable partnership: John and Elizabeth. Si monumentum requiris circumspice.
As hot weather set in from May onwards we had no meaningful rain until well into August, and the focus of activities shifted from work on the trees and the unending campaign against woody weeds, to the more urgent task of keeping things alive. Inevitably there were some losses amongst less well-established trees and shrubs, but for the most part the damage has been unsightly rather than terminal. We will not know fully until the spring, but already some trees that dropped their leaves in July have begun to form buds or even put out new growth. There will be thinning to do and dead wood to remove, but that in itself is a lesson learned, and part of the rationale for the planting scheme. As our father was given to saying, things that are going to die will die; the point is to find things that don’t. His choice of Crataegus for awkward spots worked well this year, and there have been surprises even amongst the less hardy species like cercidiphyllum, which are recovering from a terrible scorching.
Nonetheless we have taken the view that there will be little to show in the way of autumn colour by October, and we will not be opening to the public this year. The site needs time to recuperate and we are hoping for mild weather and plenty of rain. Our magnolias featured on Gardeners’ World back in April, using footage filmed the previous year, and with a fair wind they will be back on song again for spring next year.
David Ravenscroft
August 2026
Cherry Tree was created in 2006 on 50 acres of unspoilt, lightly-farmed pastureland scattered with mature oaks. This young arboretum lies in an attractive area of Shropshire countryside. It is located on a hilly area overlooking the Cheshire plain and with views to the Pennines to the north, the Peckforton Hills to the north West and the Breiddons to the south west on the Welsh Borders.
