Welcome to this new blog centred on the wilder side of Winkworth Arboretum. For those of you not familiar with Winkworth, first a bit of a history lesson...
Situated on the north-eastern slope of a valley near Godalming in Surrey, the arboretum is home to over a thousand species of tree and shrub, as well as a meadow and two lakes (one now drained and managed as a wetland) within its 116 acres and is all the brainchild of one man - Dr Wilfred Fox. Fox, a dermatologist by trade, began creating his vision in the 1930s with help from friends and influenced by WJ Bean, the then curator at Kew Gardens. He was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour, the RHS's highest award, for his work before handing the arboretum over in stages to the National Trust in the 1950s. It remains the only arboretum in the Trust's care.
I was lucky enough to join the garden team at this wonderful place in the middle of October this year, and it has been great to get to know the arboretum and start to love it the way I loved my previous workplace (see my
previous blog), although at twenty times the size of that garden I have a feeling it's going to take me somewhat longer to become familiar with every nook and cranny of Winkworth, not to mention the extraordinary plant collection! In addition to the exotic trees and shrubs that the arboretum has to offer, I am also very interested in the wildlife of the place, which is why I decided to create this blog. I look forward to seeing what surprises are in store and sharing them with you...
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