After reading a book about trees at the age of seven, Hugh Angus decided he wanted to make them his career’, according to The Garden of August, 2002. Hugh Angus began his horticultural work on a small private estate in North Yorkshire, before going on to study forestry formally at Newton Rigg College in Cumbria. He then went to work for the British Forestry Commission, first in Wales and then for ten years in Northumberland. It was evidently here that he had his real education, ‘covering all aspects of modern forestry’. So successful was he that in 1988 he was appointed Curator of the famous Westonbirt Arboretum.

As Head of Collections he is currently responsible for the management of the National Tree Collections both at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and at Bedgebury in Kent. ‘These collections are well recognized as two of the outstanding tree collections in the world today.’ Both are owned by the British Forestry Commission and are open to the public the year round. Approximately 25,000 numbered woody plants representing some 4,200 taxa are represented between the two sites. Westonbirt covers 600 acres, while Bedgebury will cover 350 acres once present expansion plans are implemented. Westonbirt, especially, has become famous for its collections, and is a special destination for tree lovers, particularly in the fall. I understand its collection of Japanese maples is outstanding. But ‘ “Westonnbirt is more than just a collection of trees” says Hugh’, as also quoted in The Garden. ‘ “The insect life, the birds and fungi, and everything else it has to offer make it such a special place”, he says. If asked to pick just two things that appeal to him about his job, it would be the plants and the people. “You could be on this planet for 1,000 years and there would still be something to learn about plants. Their names, where they come from, what conditions they grow best in – it’s a fascinating world and you can never know it all.”’

Hugh has participated in plant exploration both in North America and in China, and of course has visited ‘many of the beautiful plant collections throughout the UK’, but this is his first visit to the Pacific Northwest. Since he obviously has a very special interest in trees, we certainly ought to be able to entertain him successfully here! And his lecture the evening of April 15th on the trees at Westonbirt, even without the rhododendrons, but actually including them, should be of interest to us all.

Hugh Angus