
John Ravenscroft is a Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society and has been a member since 1952. The Society is a wonderful organisation, unique in the world.
Liz and I created Cherry Tree Arboretum over a period of time. One of its main objectives is to show magnolias growing on a windy, open site. They grow wonderfully and an important factor is the good air drainage (downflow of cold air) on our hilly site.
The collection serves as propagation material to bulk up and distribute in about two hundred plus varieties. As a result, magnolias are now much more widely grown in many more modern varieties, both here and in the Netherlands.
We also have very extensive collections of cherries, North American oaks for autumn colour and a historically important collection of deciduous azaleas which flower in Maya.
I hope you enjoy your visit to the arboretum as much as we have enjoyed its creation.


This is a map of the site using old field names whose derivation we can explain on your visit.

The boundary of our arboretum is largely colonised by very strong growing climbing and species roses. They are mostly of Asiatic origin and have enormous growth rates. You can see these at their best in June. The variety “Wedding Day” shown here is typical.
As you can see from this watercolour painting of the old pond in the arboretum, our arboretum provides inspiration for artists.
