Batsford Arboretum – something to see all year round.
If you thought tree collections were only for autumn, think again and pay a visit to beautiful Batsford Arboretum in the North Cotswolds.
Home to one of the largest private tree collections in the country, it’s in the spring the wild garden really comes into its own, thanks to the National Collection of Japanese flowering cherries – at their blowsy floral peak in March.
A comprehensive bulb planting programme over the past decade means from late January the arboretum is alive with early flowering daffodils and aconites, followed by drifts of beautiful snowdrops before the cherries and later the magnolias take centre stage.
Wildflower enthusiasts will find a whole host of native species appearing in profusion including primroses, cowslips, violets, forget-me-nots and wild garlic – as well as early signs of life in our specially managed wildflower areas.
It’s a magical and optimistic time of year, bringing with it the promise of warmer days ahead. But it’s also a wonderful place to shake off the winter blues, meandering along paths bordering the streams and pools and witnessing the arboretum in all its early spring glory.
The unusual wooden visitor centre building has been sympathetically blended into the old kitchen garden area and now houses the Garden and Gift shops and the Garden Terrace Café. If the spring weather is kind to us, visitors can enjoy home-baked lunches, cakes and afternoon teas on the wooden deck overlooking the plant centre.
Open all the time
The arboretum is open every day except Christmas day from 10.00 to 4.45pm.
