| The
Pinetum was taken out of the larger Drying Field and added to the gardens
in the thirties, by Howard Howell, who also planted some trees and kept
a horse or two there. Later two dog kennels were built, with runs, for
Muriel’s greyhounds; these remained until 1982 when they were demolished
and the concrete blocks put in the Billiard Room to build a new floor.
There were various fruit trees scattered about, and small plantations
of Norway spruce and Pittosporum, but until the late 1970s this area was
very open and under-used. |
| It was then that
Brian Howell planted an area with noble fir as a speculative trial for Christmas
trees. Within the area fenced against rabbits, he also planted the first
specimen conifers that were the foundation of the Pinetum. In fact, although
there are some notable pines, the spruces and firs tend to be more happy
in this environment and always have striking colours and lustrous foliage.
The Christmas trees are now long gone, and the specimens are filling the
area quickly as they thrive. With the backdrop of Howard’s larger
redwood and cypresses from the 1930s, and Brian’s more diverse range
from the 1970s and 80s, the Pinetum is now a fine part of the garden in
its own right. We are gradually replacing the overgrown Norway spruces with
more interesting trees: these include magnolias, and deciduous trees to
diversify further the autumn colours. At the northern end of the Pinetum
is a large grove of modern hybrid rhododendrons, mostly late flowering and
scented. |
