Arboretum Tours Autumn 2026
We are sorry to say it has been necessary to cancel the Open Days for Colesbourne Arboretum for 10th & 11th October 2026.
Read our Blog
Welcome to our blog page in which we will pass on the comings and goings of the garden and keep you up to date with any changes during the season. As a snowdrop garden open for one month a year, we might go quiet during the summer months, but we are still here! In fact the work starts in earnest the day after we close the gates for the season in order to prepare for the grand opening eleven months later. We post photos and blogs on both Instagram and Facebook during the season and beyond so please do subscribe.
Occasionally, adverse weather conditions will disrupt our opening plans at the last minute and we will post to here as well as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter if we are affected. Please look here the evening before if you are planning to visit.
The arboretum will open in the autumn for walks amongst our fine collection of trees so please come and take a stroll around the gardens and lake as the colours change. Details will be posted on here in the late summer.
News and Blog
Snowdrop Study Day
We are delighted to announce that our 2025 snowdrop study day will take place on Tuesday 11th February.
Click here for full details. Places are limited and we often have a waiting list, so please contact us as soon as you can in order to not miss out!
Arboretum Tours Friday 18th to Sunday 20th October
The Arboretum at Colesbourne Park has a magnificent collection of over 200 trees from around the world, collected by HJ Elwes FRS and added to over the past 50 years by Sir Henry Elwes. The parkland will be open on 18th, 19th and 20th October 2024 from 12.00pm and Sir Henry and Head Gardener Katie Reynolds will lead guided tours throughout each afternoon.
Many of the trees in the collection are recognised as the largest of their size in the United Kingdom (Champion Trees) and one oriental plane has been registered as one of the 70 UK trees to celebrate the late Queens Platinum Jubilee.
Friends of Colesbourne
We have just added a page to our website – Friends of Colesbourne! We are looking for a select band of volunteers who can help us grow the gardens for the future enjoyment of the snowdrops. If you would like to become a volunteer, please get in touch!
Colesbourne Gardens Workshop
On the 11th June, we are holding a gardens workshop at Colesbourne on the propagation of snowdrops. The day will consist of proactive practise in digging, moving and splitting bulbs, what to look out for when planting bulbs and then a session on twin-scaling led by one of the foremost snowdrop experts in the UK. You will get to practise twin-scaling and take home your endeavours at the end of the day. We are limiting tickets for this event to 12 in order to ensure all participants gain hands-on and in depth tutoring in this process.
The weather!
We are very sorry to announce that the gardens will not be able to open this coming weekend 24/25 February as planned. This was to be our last weekend, but the weather has had other plans for us and after some heavy and constant rain over the past two days, the gardens are now close to being underwater. The flooding has made the paths and the parking field unsafe for use and so the decision, although horrible, is the right one.
Countryfile
We hope everyone enjoyed the piece on Countryfile last night – filmed in the gardens in glorious sunshine ten days ago and looking resplendent! It was a bit different to yesterday where the rains had done as much as they could to disrupt and frustrate our wonderful visitors. We were forced to close the gates early as the parking field became a mud bath and the garden paths challenging. With the rain and warmth of February, our snowdrops have pushed on towards the approaching spring but the cyclamen and croci are putting on an extraordinary show.
18th February
*18TH FEBRUARY UPDATE*
We have had a great deal of rain in the past 12 hours and the gardens and parking are very wet. Please be advised that we may not be able to keep the car park area open today, 18th February, as even now parking will be restricted. We would also advise that very sadly, disabled and wheelchair access is not suitable today. We are keeping our fingers crossed that next weekend we will be fine and dry!
Snowdrops for Sale
Our snowdrops for sale list is now live on the website. Any orders must be made by 4th January 2024 and can be collected during the opening days or by arrangement.
Snowdrop Study Day
We are delighted to announce that our snowdrop study day will take place on 13th February 2024. Please contact us to book a place as soon as possible as numbers are strictly limited!