Arboriculture
Meet our new apprentice Arborist William Blake
I joined the team at Harcourt Arboretum in October 2019 as an apprentice. Since then I’ve started my course at Berkshire College of Agriculture, to learn about arboriculture and to get my licences for all the relevant machinery. My work at the Arboretum, helping to develop and improve the site for our visitors, allows me to apply what I am learning at college.
We’ve recently removed a large section of Rhododendron ponticum, a dense purple-flowering plant on the Serpentine Ride, with the help of our volunteers. R. ponticum is considered an invasive species by the Forestry Commission as it negatively impacts the ecosystem, releasing toxins into the soil that prevent other species from flourishing. It is also a known carrier of sudden oak death which could have a detrimental effect on the trees in our native woodland, such as Bluebell Wood.
Recently, David Millais, a rhododendron expert from Millais nursery, visited the Arboretum to advise us on which rhododendrons the Harcourt family would have originally planted. He also advised on some new cultivated varieties which would help to bring the Arboretum closer to its historical roots.
William Blake
Apprentice Arborist
Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum
