Today was a sad day in the history of the tree collection in The Knowle with the felling of the large Araucaria. The tree was one of those planted when the former Sidmouth Urban District Council bought the Knowle Hotel some fifty years ago before the site was passed to EDDC. The tree stood more than 10m tall near the bottom of the gardens and was one of the star talking points on Sidmouth Arboretum’s Friday guided walks, but it died last year.
See the tree fall by clicking here.
Apart from the very efficient felling of the spikey monster, nicknamed a Monkey Puzzle because they are impossible to climb, the team from Sid Valley Tree Surgery spent Wednesday working in the garden as part of the Town Council’s efforts to restore the site after several years of neglect by the former owners. The garden has been swamped by brambles and rhododendrons and the mammoth task of bringing them back under control continues with the help of a new volunteer group, the Friends of The Knowle who meet on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month. If you would like to join the group then contact Kelvin Dent at the Town Council.
Sidmouth Arboretum has already planted some young Araucarias that will grow to replace the lost tree eventually. They also have a young Giant Redwood that will be planted later this year in the space created by the felling of the tree.
Hello Ed,
Sorry to learn of the loss of your A. araucana.
I live north of Exeter and am anxious to return to the Sidmouth Arboretum to see the A. angustifolia that you mentioned after your Devonshire Association talk. You said that it was close to the entrance of Knowle Park. I do hope that it was not clobbered by the falling Monkey Puzzle tree.
I made a note of your planned tree tour in Exeter on 30th March and find that timed tours are being offered around the usually closed gardens of the Bishop’s Palace. Are you part of this? Are you leading all the tours?
I should like to see the gardens again, especially if you are going to be leading a tour. I remember them as a child before the good bishop Robert Mortimer closed them to the public.
Best wishes,
Hi,
The A. angustifolia is fine, it has settled in and growing strongly.
I am leading the walks around the Bishop’s garden, here’s hoping for good weather.
Also, I am developing a guide to the trees on Cathedral Green that people will be able to access on their phones, similar to the ones we have in Sidmouth
https://sidmoutharboretum.org.uk/tree-trails-on-your-phone/
Best wishes,
Ed