WHERE TO CELEBRATE THE CONIFER

NATIVE CONIFER FORESTS Moor House National Nature Reserve, Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham A gin-scented, fairy-tale forest of wind-sculpted juniper on the southern flank of the river Tees beside High Force waterfall. Ancient trees less than six metres tall, so walkers feel like giants. northpennines.org.uk/exploring/ attractions/moor-house-upperteesdale-national-nature-reserve RSPB Loch Garten, Abernethy National Nature Reserve (right), Perth and Kinross, Scotland Home to the largest remaining native Scots pine forest, a fragment of the vast Caledonian pine forest that once clothed much of Scotland when the glaciers retreated. Home to crested tits, Scottish crossbills and capercaillie, with ospreys in summer. rspb.org.uk/reserves-andevents/reserves-a-z/loch-garten Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve, West Sussex Magnificent native yew forest with a tree canopy so dense that nothing grows in their shadow. Some trees are 2,000 years old, with smooth, contorted branches that sweep down to ground level. publications.naturalengland.org. uk/publication/32044 EXOTIC CONIFER COLLECTIONS Royal Botanic Garden, Richmond, Surrey You’ll find a fine collection of conifers here, including recently discovered Wollemi pine, a survivor from the Jurassic era 200 million years ago. Though still young, the first of the trees, planted in 2005, have started producing cones. kew.org The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Tetbury, Gloucestershire A comprehensive collection of conifer specimen trees, so an ideal location to test identification skills. forestryengland.uk/westonbirtthe-national-arboretum Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, Goudhurst, Kent The world’s most complete collection of coniferous trees, where Californian giant redwoods meet Sicilian firs, Japanese umbrella pines and the Chinese silverleaf, a tree that’s as rare as the giant panda. forestryengland.uk/bedgebury National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire Collection includes dawn redwood, a tree thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in China in 1941. botanicgarden.wales Powerscourt, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Internationally famed gardens near Dublin with magnificent specimens of Douglas firs, Corsican pines, giant redwoods and noble firs. powerscourt.com