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BEDGEBURY‘The Art of Trees’ An outdoor exhibition by the Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society
www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk
£1 Suggested donation
Spring and summer 2019 •
Celebrating the work of • the National Pinetum •
Showcasing the beauty • and diversity of its trees •
Contributing Florilegium members:
Pearl Bostock (Chair)
Anne Manktelow
Helen Hiorns
Jackie Copeman
Jane Langridge
Julia Groves
Julie Spyropoulos
Louisa Bailey
Margaret Brooker
Sandra Fernandez
Susan Conroy
ContentsWelcome .............................................................. 1
The history of botanic art ....................................2
Artists’ process ....................................................4
Seeds ...................................................................6
Cones ...................................................................8
The life cycle of the Mulanje cedar .................. 10
The tree outline.................................................. 14
Bark .................................................................... 16
Fruits ................................................................... 18
Exhibition map ..................................................20
Needles .............................................................22
The panda of the plant world ..........................24
Broadleaves ......................................................26
Flowers ..............................................................28
The Franklin tree ................................................30
Index of images and species ..........................34
Thank you…
It is important to recognise that an outdoor exhibition of this complexity succeeds only with the support of a team of talented artists and highly-skilled digital and design professionals.
As the exhibition explains, the premise behind botanic art is one of detail and accuracy; this ethos must continue long after the paintbrush has been laid down. Digital scanning is not an activity to be underestimated, as we explain on pages 4 and 5. Without the Art4site team, the original artworks would not have been scanned and colour-matched to such a high standard. Fraser Allen, our designer, then took the minutely-accurate digital copies of the artists’ work and successfully brought each category of image together to create composite digital images that are both beautiful and eye-catching, yet true to the botanic tradition. Fraser also designed this show catalogue to enable us to tell Bedgebury’s visitors the stories behind the images. Both Fraser and Art4site Ltd have worked incredibly hard to support this project and we are very proud to have them on the team.
WelcomeWelcome to this 2019 edition of the Friends’ magazine, the show catalogue for The Art of Trees, Bedgebury’s spring and summer outdoor art exhibition.
In this, the Forestry Commission’s centenary year, what better way to celebrate than with a unique and dramatic art exhibition set amongst the National Pinetum’s stunning tree collection.
The Art of Trees is no ordinary art exhibition. The images have been created using artworks painted by the volunteer artists of the Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society, the only florilegium society in Forestry England. A florilegium is a group of talented artists who create beautiful and botanically accurate drawings of trees and plants from living samples. Modern day florilegia are continuing a tradition that dates back many centuries, playing a crucial role recording the tree and plant collections of botanic gardens around the world: records that will remain valid and important for the next 100 years and beyond. Bedgebury’s Florilegium comprises eleven carefully selected artists, and it is their talent that has inspired this exhibition. Through their paintings we hope to share the role, purpose, diversity and importance of the National Pinetum at Bedgebury and celebrate its globally significant tree collection.
This catalogue is your guide to the exhibition in the Pinetum. It reveals the Bedgebury stories that have inspired the images and introduces the artists who have spent two years painting the extraordinary art on display. It is difficult to overstate their talent, commitment and hard work in bringing this exhibition to life.
Katherine Jary
The Dallimore Valley skyline, from an original watercolour by Anne Manktelow
The Forestry Commission was established in 1919 to help replenish the nation’s timber reserve which was almost completely depleted in the war effort. While productive forestry is still an important part of their role, they are now England’s largest landowner and welcome more than 226 million visits to their forests every year. Forestry England is part of the Forestry Commission, which is marking its centenary in 2019. Find out more by visiting forestryengland.uk/100.
Editor: Katherine Jary
Designer: Fraser Allen
Images: The Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society
Image narratives: Chantelle Jay
Proof reading: Cath Weeks, Elspeth Hill, John Gordon, Mina McPhee and Sarah Harrington-James.
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Image 1
The history of botanic artWe are delighted to be able to share the detail of many of the beautiful and rare trees to be found at Bedgebury National Pinetum through the work of our Florilegium. Our artists hope to inspire you, just as they have been inspired by painters throughout history.
Artists have painted plants for centuries and not just to create a picture for a wall. In the sixteenth century, when physic gardens with their beds of healing plants were popular, they drew the plants as a way of recording their culinary and medicinal uses rather than for aesthetic purposes. Detailed plant illustrations were printed in medical books. Their purpose shifted from ‘health’ to ‘exotic’ with the era of the plant hunters when new and exciting plant species were being discovered around the globe. Now artists were recording these new discoveries, fuelling a demand for the plants in Europe. In this heyday of plant collecting, it became fashionable for landed gentry to introduce new species into their estates, and record their collections in a series of illustrations called a ‘florilegium’. These paintings were drawn with scientific accuracy, often on a plain background in watercolours or ink.
In some cases the plants were painted in their countries of origin. Marianne North was a local lady, born in Hastings, who became an intrepid Victorian traveller who painted plants in their natural surroundings. You can see her here at her easel, painting in oil, a medium
“My training encouraged a lifelong concern for our
natural environment.” Margaret Brooker
“Since childhood I’ve loved making and looking at pictures. Illustrations by famous artists, in the Victorian and Edwardian magazines that my father collected, were endlessly fascinating as everything had to be conveyed purely in black and white.” Margaret Brooker
which withstood the extreme climates better than watercolours. We’ve paired the picture of Marianne with her wonderful painting of redwoods. She was determined to bring her work to the public, who must have been amazed by the vivid images in her gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Botanic art and illustration continues today with artists blending scientific accuracy with their own recognisable styles. This art form has gone from strength to strength. Nowadays florilegium societies often record the collections of the botanic gardens with which they are associated. Our Florilegium plays an important role by capturing fleeting moments in time of some of the rare trees here at Bedgebury. We want to showcase the importance and beauty of our artists’ work and place it in the Pinetum surrounded by the trees that inspired it.
Marianne North at her easel, circa 1883 ©Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
View in a Redwood Forest, California, painted by Marianne North ©Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Above: Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis from
an original watercolour by Margaret Brooker
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Image 2
Artists’ processThe artwork in the exhibition took more than two years to create and thousands of hours to paint. To bring this exhibition to you our Florilegium first worked closely with Bedgebury’s Collections Manager, Dan Luscombe, to decide on the tree specimens to capture on paper. The artists visited their chosen trees at exactly the right times throughout the year, perhaps to see the flowers in bloom, to find cones (of all ages) or to collect seeds.
Each painting required detailed observation. Florilegium Chair, and the society’s founder member, Pearl Bostock explains: “I used my sketchbook to note the main tree details and added colour swatches, before I even planned my composition on paper. I used watercolour, building up colour washes, then adding the details and deeper colours.”
“As a fine art reprographer and giclée printer, one of our most rewarding daily challenges is dealing with the peculiarities of colour. It’s such an elusive subject and immensely important to the failure or success of a scan and print.” Art4site Ltd
“When working with Bedgebury… we make painstaking efforts to control colour, going into fastidious detail in order to achieve a faithful representation of the artwork. Getting it right
in print is a challenge and a learnt skill.” Art4site Ltd
Florilegia create accurate representations of their subjects, including their imperfections, showing the botanical elements. This separates the work of botanical artists from that of floral painters who simply aim to create aesthetically pleasing images. Each botanical painting includes the scale or magnification; knowing the size of the specimen helps to ensure that the painting can be used as a scientific record.
Once the artists were happy with their work, it went through the official approval stages of the Florilegium, with a peer review by a highly regarded botanic artist and a final nod from Dan Luscombe on its botanical accuracy. The work didn’t stop there. Once a painting was complete
it was scanned by a specialist scanning company, Art4site Ltd, who reviewed the scanned image against the actual painting to ensure that the colour balance and resolution were perfect. These digital records were then stored by the Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum and catalogued by a member of the Florilegium, Jackie Copeman. This careful listing, which matched the images with their scan numbers and names, helped graphic designer, Fraser Allen, to compile the artworks and paintings into these fabulous exhibition images.
We are delighted to share the final result of this hard work with you in this outdoor exhibition.
You can buy limited edition prints of the original artworks you will see on display. To find out how, or to view other artworks by the artists in our Florilegium, e-mail: [email protected] or visit: https://bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/home/bedgebury-florilegium/
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Image 3
SeedsSeeds are travellers in time and space, the Dr Who of the plant world! Remaining viable for years under the right conditions, their effective dispersal mechanisms allow them to colonise new territories away from the parent tree. They come in all shapes and sizes. The Florilegium have captured their diversity here, painting a range of seeds from broadleaf and conifer trees in the Pinetum. Size isn’t important - the tallest tree on the planet, the coast redwood, comes from one of the smallest seeds. Despite looking different, seeds all do the same job, containing all of the genetic information needed to make a new tree, held in a safe package.
Seeds are the start of the conservation process at Bedgebury. Saving rare trees is about trying to preserve as much genetic variation as possible, which means collecting seeds from wild trees. That’s why the team at Bedgebury collects seeds from trees in their native habitats, leading or joining expeditions as far away as Tasmania, Japan and the USA. These expeditions are undertaken in partnership with other organisations around the world, to share the resources, information and cost. The Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum play a crucial role in funding these expeditions for Bedgebury.
Conservation doesn’t stop at collecting the seeds. It is the job of the nursery team at Bedgebury to ensure that some of the seeds germinate and grow into trees that can be planted in the Pinetum. The remaining seeds are stored for posterity, as a back-up, by partner organisations like the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership.
To find out more about some of Bedgebury’s Friends’-funded seed-collecting expeditions, visit: https://bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/the-pinetum/. Future expeditions depend on the continued support of Bedgebury’s members and sponsors. Find out how you can make a difference to Bedgebury’s tree conservation efforts by visiting: https://bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/memberships/
“I like the achievement of creating something out of nothing, from a blank piece of paper to a pleasing image.” Susan Conroy
Above: Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum from an original
watercolour by Susan Conroy
Right: Hornbeam Carpinus betulus from an original watercolour by Susan Conroy
“I like to look past the obvious and discover something unique and interesting; to find something appealing and exciting. The challenge is to make others see what I am seeing.” Susan Conroy
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take a look at the index for this image on page 35. The paintings provide a scientific record of one of the most useful features for tree identification; the cones in some families are very difficult to tell apart so these meticulous paintings are a valuable guide.
The in-house cone collection at Bedgebury has specimens from all over the world. Last year, the learning team and volunteers at Bedgebury showed its cones to numerous schools as part of their learning programmes, and to thousands of visitors at family events.
Image 4
ConesThe iconic symbol of the Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum is a cone and in general they are some of the most striking elements of conifers. Everyone loves a cone, whether for its beauty or childhood memories of making Christmas decorations, but we rarely stop to think about its importance to the tree.
Cones are essential for pollination, seed production and seed dispersal. Conifers produce both male and female cones in the spring. Although the male cones are small they can produce clouds of pollen which the spring breezes carry to the female cones. The developing female cones protect the seeds. After a year or more the seeds are ready to fly and, when the conditions are right, the woody cones open to release them. These structures are in the very best position on the tree for effective release into the wind, often high up in a prominent position on the branches. The dropped cones that you find on the ground on your forest walks have done their job, and are now ready to be used for your children’s craft projects.
This image highlights the diversity of structure and size; from the tiny cones of the South Esk pine to the resinous cones of the East Himalayan fir. Even the yew ‘berry’ is a fleshy cone, called an ‘aril’, that partially surrounds the poisonous seed. To see which ones we mean,
“As an ‘ethnobotanical artist’, I am passionate about the
relationships between plants and people.” Julia Groves
“I am inspired by the historical and contemporary traditions of botanical art and employ both traditional and non-traditional techniques.” Julia Groves
Above: Hawthorn maple Acer crataegifolium from an original watercolour by Jackie Copeman
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Image 5
The life cycle of the Mulanje cedarThis image, from artworks painted by Anne Manktelow, is of a single seedling of the Mulanje cedar (Widdringtonia whytei) and shows the development of a tiny seed into a healthy seedling. In contrast to the other images it shows the young seedlings above and below ground, with their extensive root systems. This is really important to the story behind this tree.
The Mulanje cedar, the national tree of Malawi, comes from Mulanje Mountain and is now almost extinct in the wild. Over-exploitation of the tree for its valuable, durable timber has also led to soil erosion and water run-off issues, and it is at risk of extinction if action is not taken now.
International conservation projects can sometimes make a huge difference and partnership working is vital. Bedgebury has an important international reputation for propagation expertise. As a result, Botanic Gardens Conservation International invited Bedgebury to get involved in a special project which aims to replant and restore cedar populations on Mulanje Mountain. This is a substantial collaboration which also involves the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust and the Forest Research Institute of Malawi.
Understanding how a tree grows is crucial to the success of a rescue project. Bedgebury’s nursery team planted the seeds in the glasshouse in a special type of pot, called an air pot, which encourages root growth. The team are studying
“I knew I was hooked on botanical art when instead of eating my salad I was studying the curves and colours of the leaves and planning a painting.”Anne Manktelow
“Like most botanical artists I am inspired by the intricacies
and variety of the natural world.” Anne Manktelow
the seedlings in minute detail as they develop, just as this series of paintings from Anne illustrates. The nursery team will be watching them closely to see what conditions best suit them. They want healthy trees that have a strong root structure that will help the cedar to re-establish itself on Mulanje Mountain. It isn’t possible to grow the trees outside in the open in Britain as the conditions don’t suit them, which is why the work in the nursery is so important. A key part of the project is the transfer of knowledge gained by Dan and his team in the UK to the foresters in Malawi.
To find out more about Bedgebury’s role in the ‘Save our Cedar’ project, read the Malawi edition of the Friends’ magazine: https://bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/memberships/magazine/2018-and-past-issues/
Right: Mulanje cedar Widdringtonia whytei from an original watercolour by Anne Manktelow
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Bedgebury staff have worked with thousands of schoolchildren, opening their eyes to conservation, trees and the outdoors. The Mulanje cedar school workshops project in 2017 and 2018 was one example of this work in action.
Why not visit Bedgebury with your school or group?
Choose from a range of learning programmes, with options for every budget.
0300 067 4474
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Image 6
The tree outlineFlorilegium artists often include a drawing of the whole tree as part of their botanical painting. When they paint the parts of the tree they also want to show the sum of all the parts. Here you can see the fine detail of a stunning Scots pine illustrated by Pearl Bostock. Experts can identify a type of tree just from its outline and conifers are no
exception. The skill of the painters allows individual trees in the landscape to stand out in a way that can’t be captured in a 2D photograph. Have a look at the Scots pine silhouette on the image and see if you can spot a tree with a similar shape in the skyline as you walk along the path.
Landscaping is an important element of the Pinetum’s work. An illustrative reminder of tree shape can help the tree team to predict how the landscape will look in the future.
We tend to think of conifers as all looking the same in a forest; a monoculture. However, this is not the case. One of the Pinetum’s aims is to showcase the variety of conifer species. The Pinetum’s trees are therefore situated both to maximise their chance of success and to increase the site’s aesthetic appeal. A pleasing skyline is really important for the landscaping of the site; it can take your breath away and transport your imagination elsewhere.
In addition to how it looks, mixed planting can also help to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. If trees of the same type
Dan Luscombe, Bedgebury’s Collections Manager, had a clear vision for each composite image in this exhibition. He was most passionate about the purpose of this particular image with its more complex message. Dan said: “Consider the shape or silhouette of some of Bedgebury’s key tree species: oak, monkey puzzle, hemlock, Scots pine or Lawson cypress. The shape of each is so distinctive that you need no further clues for its identification. Planted with thought, Bedgebury’s spectacular trees are the structural elements that give the Pinetum landscape its well-recognised views and vistas. You know exactly where you are from these shapes alone. However, with colour and texture layered on from their bark, leaves, fruits and cones, and with the seasons to deliver ever-changing variety, every Pinetum scene is as beautiful as it is distinctive because of the shape of the trees.”
are scattered across the site, the spread of tree health problems, such as red band needle blight, can be prevented. Bedgebury works with the Forest Research team who study the spread of pests and diseases across all Forestry England’s woodlands. By helping their scientists, Bedgebury can play their part in protecting trees for the future. The tree team have nurtured many of the Pinetum’s trees since they were seedlings in the nursery, so they really care about the health of their ‘babies’.
Dan discussing a specimen taken for painting with the Chair of the Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society, Pearl Bostock.
Right: Wellingtonia Sequoiadendron giganteum from an original line drawing by Pearl Bostock
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Image 7
Bark
The six Florilegium artists who painted these striking
artworks captured each tree’s bark in all its beauty. You can see
the variety of colours, textures and patterns from the English oak to the
Tibetan cherry. They almost look 3D; paintings can show the subject in ways
that photos can’t.
Have you ever looked carefully at bark? Why don’t you stop at the next tree, touch it and
notice the textures. Take your time to look, just as the Florilegium did in the 30 hours or more that they
spent painting each image. The bark is something that is visible on the tree all year round. In the winter
therefore, it is a key identifying feature of trees and adds beauty and visual interest to the Pinetum landscape.
Bark has an important function in protecting the tree. Just as you wear a coat to protect yourself against the elements, bark is the coat for the tree. Similarly, as our coats can have additional protection, the bark may have added extras, like resins and tannins, which can protect against the elements and pests and diseases. The bark of different trees may have adapted in different ways. The bark of the coast redwood is spongy, and up to 10 cm thick, which protects it against forest fires and lightning strikes. Keep an eye out for bare sections of bark which show which Bedgebury trees have been hit by lightning.
Bark is also home to lichens and mosses, particularly on the north side of the trunk. This can be a useful clue for navigation. Small creatures also make their homes in the bark. So looking after Bedgebury’s trees protects whole ecosystems.
Left: Snake bark maple Acer pensylvanicum
from an original watercolour by
Sandra Fernandez
“I hope that my art will enable people to appreciate that even something as apparently mundane as bark, a thistle or a pine cone is actually a thing of exquisite beauty.” Helen Hiorns
Above: Katsura tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum from an original watercolour by Helen Hiorns
Did you know? The frames for the images are made of timber from Pinetum trees!
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as they look after wildlife as well as trees and people. The artists had to be in the right place at the right time to get their specimens before the squirrels!
“I love the precision demanded by botanical painting and the way it forces me to notice the colours and finest details in the plants I’m painting.”Louisa Bailey
Image 8
FruitsBedgebury is world famous for its stunning collection of conifers, but the Pinetum has over 1,800 tree species, including broadleaf trees. Fruit-bearing trees add further to the variety in the Pinetum, helping to showcase the conifers and creating an environment for wildlife to thrive. As Bedgebury is open 364 days a year, the variety of species grown also enables Bedgebury to offer a beautiful setting for you to enjoy all year round.
The Florilegium have really captured this variety at Bedgebury, with the bright berries of the Chinese crab apple, hawthorn and beautyberry, and the rich colours of the horse and sweet chestnuts. Even the camouflaged green fruits of the tulip tree and hickory are depicted beautifully. The Florilegium
worked hard to capture these specimens before they lost their fullness and colour; you can almost feel the textures. Another way to
preserve fruit!
All fruits contain seeds, including our typical ‘fruit bowl’ examples as well as wild fruits, berries and nuts.
These autumn berries and nuts provide food for wildlife, and the trees help to
create varied habitats. This is really important to Forestry England
Left: Chinese crab apple Malus hupehensis from an original watercolour by Louisa Bailey
Left: Beautyberry Callicarpa bodinieri from
an original watercolour by Sandra Fernandez
1918
Marshal’s Lake
Lady
Mild
red'
s C
arria
ge D
rive
Leylandcypresshedge
The WalledGarden
Mainentrance
Overflowcar park
ChurchillWood
Eventsarena
Junipercollection
Thujacollection Glory Hole
Yew collection
Forest office
Forest plots(site of trials and
future coniferconservation plantings)
Hill’s Avenue
Dwarfconifers
Leyland cypresscollection
Lawson cypresscollection
Educationarea
National CycleNetwork Route 18
To theforest
To play trailand Go Ape
To A
21
Visitor Centre
B207
9
North
To G
oudh
urst
1
2
3
4 5
6
7
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Exhibition map
Image number and title:
1 The history of botanic art2 Artists’ process3 Seeds4 Cones5 The life cycle of the Mulanje cedar6 The tree outline7 Bark8 Fruits9 Needles10 The panda of the plant world11 Broadleaves12 Flowers13 The Franklin tree
The exhibition route is 1.1 miles long. It follows surfaced paths, and gradients are gentle apart from a relatively steep and uneven downhill section between images 4 and 5.
0 400m200
KeyRoute
Gate
The Visitor Centre
Toilet
Easy access toiletfor most wheelchair users
Cafe
Picnic area
Information
Parking
Bedgebury National Pinetum
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Image 9
NeedlesThe ‘leaves’ of conifer trees have evolved into narrow shapes, hence their name ‘needles’. Most of us consider only one type of needle, namely that on our Christmas tree and whether it will drop or not. However, as you can see here, there is a huge diversity in their characteristics.
Sandra Fernandez, who studied the celerytop pine, said: “Until I had the chance to paint at Bedgebury, I never thought I would encounter so much variety amongst conifers to inspire me…”
The Florilegium have painted an accurate recording of some of the specimens found in the Pinetum. This accuracy helps to pinpoint exactly which species of conifer the needle has come from. The shape, size, and the way that they are bundled together are all important. Pine needles are grouped in bunches of ones, twos, threes and fives, whilst firs and spruces have single needles, and cypresses are made up of overlapping scales. The ancient Gingko biloba tree is in a family of its own but is more closely related to the conifers than the broadleaves, so we have included its leaf here alongside its relatives.
The veins of the gingko leaf form a beautiful fan shape. Louisa Bailey
painted two versions of this ancient leaf type and, as we couldn’t
decide between them, we included both! They really
show the seasonal colour of the gingko.
Although there is diversity in the appearance of the needles, they all have the
same function: they are the ‘factories’ that make food for
the plant during photosynthesis. Needles and scales give conifers the
edge over their broadleaf cousins in cold and arid climates. Their shape means
that they lose less water than broad, flat leaves. This tends to mean that conifers can hold onto their needles year-round. However, there are some exceptions that do drop their needles: the swamp cypress, larch and dawn redwood. These
deciduous conifers have soft green needles in the spring which turn rich, fiery colours in the autumn, adding to the variety of seasonal colour at Bedgebury. Which conifer would you choose for your garden: evergreen or deciduous?
“I like finding more expressive ways to visualise the natural world around me, conveying a more personal response to my
subject rather than a purely accurate study.” Sandra Fernandez
Below: Maidenhair tree Gingko biloba from an original watercolour by Louisa Bailey
“I am attracted more to the wonderful forms and structures found in nature than I am to colour.” Sandra Fernandez
Left: Celerytop pine
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius from an
original watercolour by Sandra Fernandez
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Image 10
The panda of the plant worldCathaya argyrophylla is the panda of the plant world; in fact it is rarer than the panda, although both are classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as ‘vulnerable’ in their native habitat in China. By growing it here in the Pinetum we prevent it from disappearing completely. Happily, this is a conservation success story for Bedgebury, as this is the first place in Britain where the tree species has ever produced cones. Since then the Bedgebury team has managed to grow several seedlings in the nursery on site. Any seeds that the Pinetum’s trees produce can be seed-banked and shared as Bedgebury is part of the International Conifer Conservation Programme co-ordinated by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
To conserve any tree species effectively it is essential to understand every stage of its life cycle. Having a record of the different stages is particularly important: to hold for the future, to share with other arboreta and to train Bedgebury’s apprentices. Artist Pearl Bostock has painstakingly captured every stage of this tree’s development through the year. Dan Luscombe and his tree team advised Pearl so that she could be in the right place at the right time to see the different stages emerge.
Pearl’s paintings focus in depth on the stages of the life cycle. She has captured short-lived elements like the male and female conifer ‘flowers’ that may only be present for a
few weeks during pollination. In this detailed and intricate image you can see both a
developing and mature female cone.
“Sitting as a small child in a meadow outside my grandmother’s cottage, I was amazed by the tiny flowers surrounding me and so I developed, in those early years, an appreciation of the wonder and beauty of the plant world.” Pearl Bostock
Pearl’s fine, detailed work brings out elements which are often difficult to see; it focusses the mind and aids identification. The paintings capture individual moments and present them together in a finished painting. These are the features which show the whole life cycle, impossible to capture in a single photo.
Speaking about her experience of painting such a rare tree at Bedgebury, Pearl said: “I felt privileged to be given the opportunity to study something so rare, so closely, and over such a long period of time.”
“The Victorian art critic, John Ruskin, expresses my
aim better than I can: ‘…to stay what is fleeting,
and to enlighten what is incomprehensible, to
incorporate the things that have no measure, and
immortalise the things that have no duration.’” Pearl Bostock
Cathaya Cathaya argyrophylla from an original watercolour by Pearl Bostock
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Image 11
BroadleavesMembers of the Florilegium paint examples of the trees in the Pinetum throughout the year, thereby providing a permanent record of every aspect of the collection. Although Bedgebury specialises in conifers, almost 30% of Bedgebury’s trees and shrubs are broadleaf trees. Broadleaves add to the overall tree diversity, providing a greater variety of colour, height, texture and aroma for you to enjoy, whichever season you visit.
We don’t often look at leaves until the autumn, although they can be the biggest area of the tree that you see. The range of colours throughout the year can be quite amazing, from the delicate spring green of the new leaf, to the vibrant colour of the autumn leaves. Some of the trees are specifically planted for their autumn interest, like the sweetgums and maples. You can see some beautiful examples of leaves on this image showing the different colours and leaf structures.
Within the Pinetum you may find that some leaves not only look good, but have a rich aroma too, like the enticing katsura tree whose fallen leaves smell of toffee apple in the autumn. Why not find your favourite spot and take the opportunity to stop, relax and soak up the atmosphere around you; using all of your senses you can really connect to the trees. If you managed that, well done, you have just tried ‘forest bathing’. How often do you get a chance to stop in the hustle and bustle of everyday life? The Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum offer an annual membership so that you can come back as many times as you like throughout the year to enjoy the Pinetum and make the most of the health benefits of being outdoors.
Tibetan whitebeam Sorbus thibetica from an original watercolour by Margaret Brooker
“The essence of botanical painting for me is a calm meditative space where any problems I am dealing with in life can be paused and the body can quieten and become still.” Jane Langridge
Right: American sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua from
an original watercolour by Jane Langridge
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Image 12
FlowersBotanical art is not just about creating a pretty picture, although of course the artists hope that you enjoy what you see. It is a record of the specimen exactly as it is, rather than a representation of an ideal.
Showcasing the flowers individually highlights their variety, beauty and exact structures. Painting the images in isolation, on a plain background, helps to highlight some of the less obvious flowers, which are often overlooked. Would you notice the small yellow flowers of the maple on a spring walk? Deciding how to represent the blooms is very much down to the artist, although they have to follow strict guidelines within botanical art. In some cases the specimens are represented in cross-section or in different planes in order to give a better understanding of the floral structures, as you can see from the witch hazel. Some contemporary botanical artists paint flowers against their leaves to frame the subject, as is the case with the pale Chinese crab apple and Japanese stewartia flowers. You can imagine that they would have been difficult to see without the leaves if our designer, Fraser Allen, had chosen a lighter background. To see which flowers we mean, take a look at the index for this image on page 41.
The ephemeral nature of the subjects makes these flowers a challenge to paint in a tight timescale. Chantelle Jay, a Forestry England Learning Coordinator, has been meeting with the Florilegium whilst writing the catalogue text. She says: “It amazes me that the ladies can place the most exquisite painting in front of us, and still wonder if it is finished. This is when the critique and reassurance from the group shines through and the artist can step back and see their painting in all of its splendour, as we can.” Now you’ve enjoyed the image, we hope that you will enjoy the colours and scents of these flowers for yourselves when you find them in the Pinetum.
“My need to paint is driven by a love of colour.” Julie Spyropoulos
Right: Rhododendron Rhododendron cv. from an original watercolour by Julie Spyropoulos
Above: Japanese stewartia Stewartia pseudocamellia from an
original watercolour by Louisa Bailey
“Botanical art is, for me, the perfect opportunity to celebrate the colour and form of plants and to observe closely the detail necessary for accurate representation.”Julie Spyropoulos
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camellia, the Franklin tree is also in the tea plant family. As you can see on this image the striking burgundy leaves add to the autumn colour in the Pinetum and the striated bark adds winter interest. Its beauty has saved the Franklin tree and the Florilegium have captured that beauty before it’s too late, recording it for posterity.
Here are Jackie’s thoughts on painting the Franklin tree: “The tree was striking in the late summer, its leaves red in the sun and the white flowers standing out against the blue sky; so unusual to see a tree in full flower alongside its autumn leaf colour. I knew I’d like to paint it and was even more decided when I understood that this was a tree which is no longer found in the wild.”
If you have enjoyed the Art of Trees exhibition, pop into the Friends’ shop in the Information Office to view a range of cards produced by the talented artists of our Florilegium.
Image 13
The Franklin treeHere Jackie Copeman has captured Franklinia alatamaha, the Franklin tree. This tree is classed as ‘extinct in the wild’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They produce a ‘Red List’ which shows the global conservation status of all plants and animals. The conservation work in the Pinetum is extremely important as 34% of conifers are currently threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List - that’s an even higher percentage than for mammals. Dan Luscombe, Bedgebury’s Collections Manager, advises the IUCN committee on the conservation status of conifer species. This is just one way in which Bedgebury is helping to conserve trees around the world. By coming to Bedgebury you are helping to support that work.
As conserving and preserving trees is what Bedgebury is all about, the Franklin tree is grown here to ensure that it doesn’t move to the next category: ‘extinct’. Although it hasn’t been seen in the wild for over 200 years, it is now grown in botanic gardens and arboreta and is a popular garden tree. It can be a ‘fussy’ tree, liking particular soils and only flowering in the right conditions, but perseverance is worth it!
The popularity of the Franklin tree may have something to do with its beauty and year-round interest. The tree has beautiful white flowers, with a yellow centre and a light fragrance like honeysuckle. They are very similar to camellia flowers, and like the
“It has been fun walking the site to find specimens of the plants we need and learning more about them; but frustrating when specimens cannot be found at the right stage for painting or when the plant must be painted immediately else the precious flower will die.”Jackie Copeman
Right: The Franklin tree Franklinia alatamaha from an original watercolour by Jackie Copeman
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Then why not enjoy the benefits of Bedgebury membership! Pop into the Information Office to find out more or join online
www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk
01580 879842
lovebedgebury bedgeburyfriends
Enjoyed your visit?
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Index of images and species
Image 3 – Seeds1 Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum Susan Conroy 2 Northern red oak Quercus rubra Susan Conroy3 Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Margaret Brooker4 Brewer’s spruce Picea breweriana Louisa Bailey5 Hornbeam Carpinus betulus Susan Conroy 6 Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens Helen Hiorns7 Hawthorn maple Acer crataegifolium Jackie Copeman 8 Cathaya Cathaya argyrophylla Pearl Bostock9 English oak Quercus robur Susan Conroy10 Beech Fagus sylvatica Susan Conroy11 Delavay’s fir Abies delavayi ssp. fansipanensis Julia Groves12 Gregg’s pine Pinus greggii Pearl Bostock
Image 4 – Cones1 East Himalayan fir Abies spectabilis Pearl Bostock2 Armand pine Pinus armandii Julia Groves3 Spanish fir Abies pinaspo ‘Kelleriis’ Anne Manktelow4 South Esk pine Callitris oblonga Helen Hiorns5 Sugar pine Pinus lambertiana Helen Hiorns6 Cypress Cupressus sp. Susan Conroy7 Japanese Douglas fir Pseudotsuga japonica Jane Langridge8 Deodar Cedrus deodara Jane Langridge9 Gregg’s pine Pinus greggii Pearl Bostock10 Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis Margaret Brooker11 English yew Taxus baccata Susan Conroy12 Japanese umbrella tree Sciadopitys verticillata Pearl Bostock
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Image 5 – The life cycle of the Mulanje cedar Mulanje cedar Widdringtonia whytei Anne Manktelow
Image 6 – The tree outline Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Pearl Bostock
Image 7 – Bark1 Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens Anne Manktelow2 Tasmanian snow gum Eucalyptus coccifera Helen Hiorns3 Tibetan cherry Prunus serrula Jackie Copeman 4 Himalayan birch Betula utilis var. jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’ Julia Groves5 English oak Quercus robur Susan Conroy 6 Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Margaret Brooker
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Image 4 – Cones (single)1 Sugar pine Pinus lambertiana Julia Groves2 Ghost pine Pinus sabiniana Julia Groves3 Armand pine Pinus armandii Julia Groves
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Image 9 – Needles1 Maidenhair tree Gingko biloba Louisa Bailey2 Monkey puzzle tree Araucaria araucana Susan Conroy3 Plum yew Cephalotaxus harringtonii Julia Groves4 Golden larch Pseudolarix amabilis Pearl Bostock5 Celerytop pine Phyllocladus aspleniifolius Sandra Fernandez6 East Himalayan fir Abies spectabilis Pearl Bostock7 Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Margaret Brooker8 Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis Margaret Brooker9 Hiba Thujopsis dolabrata Pearl Bostock10 Nootka cypress Xanthocyparis nootkatensis Margaret Brooker11 Noble fir Abies procera Margaret Brooker12 Dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides Julie Spyropoulos
Image 10 – The panda of the plant world Cathaya Cathaya argyrophylla Pearl Bostock
Image 8 – Fruits1 Chinese crab apple Malus hupehensis Louisa Bailey2 Shagbark hickory Carya ovata Susan Conroy3 Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipfera Pearl Bostock4 Bladdernut Staphylea pinnata Pearl Bostock5 Hawthorn Crataegus sp. Anne Manktelow6 Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum Susan Conroy7 Silky dogwood Cornus amomum Pearl Bostock8 Beech Fagus sylvatica Susan Conroy9 Japanese dogwood Cornus kousa Helen Hiorns10 Sweet chestnut Castanea sativa Jackie Copeman 11 Japanese stewartia Stewartia pseudocamellia Louisa Bailey12 Beautyberry Callicarpa bodinieri Sandra Fernandez
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Image 11 – Broadleaves1 Red bud maple Acer trautvetteri Susan Conroy2 Japanese maple Acer palmatum ‘Shikage ori nishiki’ Jackie Copeman 3 American sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Jane Langridge4 Shagbark hickory Carya ovata Susan Conroy5 Northern red oak Quercus rubra Susan Conroy6 White ash Fraxinus americana Susan Conroy7 Henry’s lime Tilia henryana Susan Conroy8 Yellow catalpa Catalpa ovata Sandra Fernandez9 Tibetan whitebeam Sorbus thibetica Margaret Brooker10 Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipfera Susan Conroy11 Chang’s sweetgum Liquidambar acalycina Susan Conroy12 Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum Susan Conroy13 English oak Quercus robur Susan Conroy14 Katsura tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum Helen Hiorns15 Wild service tree Sorbus torminalis Sandra Fernandez16 Sumach Rhus trichocarpa Helen Hiorns
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Image 12 – Flowers1 Rhododendron Rhododendron cv. Julie Spyropoulos2 Maple Acer tegmentosum ‘White Tigress’ Pearl Bostock3 Chinese crab apple Malus hupehensis Louisa Bailey4 Chinese witch hazel Hamamelis mollis Helen Hiorns5 Hybrid crab apple Malus x purpurea ‘Lemoinei’ Pearl Bostock6 Nepalese paper plant Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ Sandra Fernandez7 Judas tree Cercis siliquastrum ‘Avondale’ Susan Conroy8 Japanese stewartia Stewartia pseudocamellia Louisa Bailey9 Star Wars magnolia Magnolia ‘Star Wars’ Susan Conroy10 Great white cherry Prunus ‘Tai Haku’ Pearl Bostock11 Cornelian cherry Cornus mas Louisa Bailey12 Japanese dogwood Cornus kousa Anne Manktelow
Image 13 – The Franklin tree Franklin tree Franklinia alatamaha Jackie Copeman
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The Art of Trees is a collaboration between:
