Keele University Arboretum

Keele University Arboretum Natural History of Keele University, UK. Set up by Dave Emley and run by Dr Sarah L. Taylor

Devoted to the study and promotion of the flora and fauna of Keele University estate.

To celebrate our Hiroshima ginkgo seedlings one year birthday Sarah has written a new blog post detailing their progress...
04/06/2026

To celebrate our Hiroshima ginkgo seedlings one year birthday Sarah has written a new blog post detailing their progress through the winter and spring. The blog link is in the comments.

Now that the cherries have finished flowering Martin, Peter and Sarah can start doing some maintenance to ensure the hea...
02/06/2026

Now that the cherries have finished flowering Martin, Peter and Sarah can start doing some maintenance to ensure the health of the specimens. This includes removing dead branches and any sprouts that have emerged below the graft and checking the plant supports. Today we were out at Memorial Gardens.

The rhododendron blossoms are looking fabulous. This shrubbery is by Lindsay O-P block.
22/05/2026

The rhododendron blossoms are looking fabulous. This shrubbery is by Lindsay O-P block.

May Week 2. This week's survey is brought to you by Sarah and student volunteer Kieran Graham. The torrential rain and...
15/05/2026

May Week 2. This week's survey is brought to you by Sarah and student volunteer Kieran Graham. The torrential rain and hail thwarted surveys. Sarah's notes were washed away and it was too wet for Kieran to use the online recorder Form. As a result we didn't get round all of the trees and there are 44 trees in flower last week whose status is unknown. Of the 259 trees surveyed, only 25 (10%) are in flower and they are looking rather sorry for themselves with only 3 trees in peak flower. The extreme weather has brought an early end to the floral displays. For this reason this is the last for 2026.

Thanks to Kieran Graham (pictured below) who has surveyed 305 trees in the last few weeks.

14/05/2026

Sarah was out doing surveys this afternoon in a hail storm. All in all a rather silly idea!!

This week we said goodbye to our cherry tree assistant Elliott Walton who has now completed his work placement. Pictured...
12/05/2026

This week we said goodbye to our cherry tree assistant Elliott Walton who has now completed his work placement. Pictured here with Sarah under the fading blossoms of Pink Perfection on Cherry Tree Walk. What a job Elliott has done. The weekly blossom stats over the last 10 weeks would not have been possible without Elliott. This is the first time we've done . What did you think?

May Week 1. The number of trees in flower continues to drop. Of the 292 trees surveyed, 47% have flowers. The number o...
08/05/2026

May Week 1. The number of trees in flower continues to drop. Of the 292 trees surveyed, 47% have flowers. The number of cherries in peak flower has fallen to just 12 specimens (4%).

April Week 5. The number of trees in flower continues to drop. Of the 294 trees surveyed, 48% have flowers. The number...
03/05/2026

April Week 5. The number of trees in flower continues to drop. Of the 294 trees surveyed, 48% have flowers. The number of cherries in peak flower has fallen by half to 46 (16%). The hot sunny weather could well be shortening the lifespan of the flowers.

There are still some stunning blossoms on show. The photos are all from the Memorial Gardens.

Ever wanted to lie under a cherry blossom tree and gaze up at the flowers? Well now you can without getting grass on you...
28/04/2026

Ever wanted to lie under a cherry blossom tree and gaze up at the flowers? Well now you can without getting grass on your clothes with this 360 camera footage taken of "The Bride" by our very own cherry assistant Elliott Walton. Click on the Thinglink to pan around 360 imagery.

https://www.thinglink.com/view/scene/2101360018833015461

The "Japanese Lantern" cherries that were planted in a special ceremony by the VC in November 2025 are in flower for the...
25/04/2026

The "Japanese Lantern" cherries that were planted in a special ceremony by the VC in November 2025 are in flower for the FIRST TIME!!!!! These three specimens are located by the Keele entrance sign and were donated by Frank P Matthews. They are unique as they have showy double yellow flowers. I never expected to see these so soon.

Thanks to Peter Thomas for the superb photos.

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Keele
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