Snow damage at Wakehurst Place

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trees covered in snow at wakehurst place

Over 100 trees around the 500 acre estate at Wakehust Place have been damaged by the weight of snow piling up on their branches.

Wakehurst’s arboriculture unit is assessing the damage to trees and shrubs caused by the recent heavy snow.

Early assessments indicate that over 100 trees around the 500 acre estate have been damaged by the weight of snow piling up on their branches.

Many trees have been felled by the snow, others have lost large branches, and numerous shrubs and smaller trees have also been damaged.

The impact of the snow on the gardens and arboretums has surprised staff at Wakehurst who say it has caused the worst damage to the plant collections since the 1990 gales.

Iain Parkinson, Wakehurst’s Arboricultural Manager said: “Wakehurst has a recent history of damage caused to the collections by high winds, but the snow has been a silent executioner. It’s the sheer weight of snow lying on branches for such a long period of time which has caused the damage. We’ve not experienced this sort of damage from snow at Wakehurst before. Some damage was inevitable, but the number of trees and shrubs affected by the recent snow has been an unwelcome surprise.”

Even though the snow and ice has now cleared and Wakehurst Place is open to the public some sections of the gardens are likely to remain closed for many weeks whilst tree debris is cleared and remedial tree work carried out.

David Hardman, Head of Horticulture and Estate Management at Wakehurst Place, said: “The teams did a great job keeping staff accesses clear and we have learnt a lot already about the vagaries and changes that snow undergoes as we cleared roads and paths around the garden. Our priority before opening was to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience at Wakehurst Place for all our staff and visitors. Now the work of clearing up the damage begins in earnest”

Please make a donation today to help us restore Wakehurst Place

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