Nicholas Craig column

May 12 2006 By Nicholas Craig, The Journal

"i think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree…" I may not be a particularly flowery person, but arboretums get my vote every time. In Northumberland, we have a real treat this year, with Howick Hall's magnificent arboretum now open to the public.

Arboretums must be the ultimate in patient, persistent commitment. Lord Howick has grown 11,000 specimen from about 1,800 varieties, all developed from seed collected across five continents. It's probably one of the largest wild collected arboretums in the country.

When I hear of friends visiting Europe to see the gardens of Spain or Italy, I think we could shout a little louder about our fantastic success in producing spectacular gardens in much harder climatic conditions. Howick Hall has invested generous resources and a few lifetimes of work to bring about the remarkable gardens and arboretum we can now all enjoy.

Both Howick and nearby Cragside are particularly spectacular this month, ablaze with rhododendrons and spring flowers. Close by, Alnwick Garden remains a magnet for visitors. Many of Northumberland's most memorable gardens are based around great houses and castles.

Wallington Hall, Belsay Hall and Herterton House at Cambo all boast marvellous gardens at well-preserved estates.

We have a stunning range of unique grounds, castles and stately homes all in one county, but some, perhaps deliberately, are marketed in only the most subtle ways.

Last year's television series Coast - which explored the landscapes of Britain's shoreline - showed the dramatic castles and beaches of Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh. The programme attracted five million viewers and thousands of calls requesting information packs. A few minutes of national television had spurred remarkable interest in a destination on the nation's doorstep.

The wildlife, birds, countryside and coast make Northumberland a natural delight. There is, however, a balance to be struck between encouraging many more to share in its abundant attractions and the over-exposure of wild birds' nesting sites and disruption of animals' territory.

That is another reason to rejoice at the opening of the arboretum. A chicane of superb visitor attractions, all celebrating the natural beauty of the county, opens up less well-known areas while helping to retain wilder landscape for species other than homo sapiens to occupy.