Summer
The sharp colours of Spring eventually give way to the softer hues of summer greens. The turn of the late flowering magnolias has arrived amongst the tall cow parsley. The subtlety of these summer plants compared to their earlier flowering brash cousins is more than made up for by the heady scent that exudes from their waxy petals (or tepals as they are technically known). With the advent of Summer, some of the rarer trees of the arboretum now come into prominence, e.g. Taiwania Cryptomeriodes, and the Californian Nutmeg (Torreya Californica); the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides) and the Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo Biloba) as well as many more.
The arboretum opens in February to an impressive display of spring bulbs. Swathes of snowdrops, daffodils and narcissi carpet the ground. The large range of plants within the arboretum ensures that the spring display carries on right through until the start of June.
Winter is a special time at Batsford, with the breathtaking sights that ice, frost and snow can bring. Although many trees are dormant, there is still plenty to interest the visitor, including winter flowering shrubs to see, and we are open every day except Christmas Day! Opening times are different to peak season, so please make sure of the times before you make your journey.
The onset of Autumn at Batsford heralds a riot of colour. From late September the maples provide the richest colours. They range from the deep butter yellow of the Sugar Maple (A. saccharum), through to the orange reds of the Snake Bark Maple (A. capillipes) and the Canadian Maple (A. rubrum). The Japanese Maples are like bonfires alight throughout the arboretum, particularly A. palmatum 'Osakazuki', A. japonicum 'Vitifolium' and the bronze colour of A. p. 'Shishigashira'.