THE ARBORETUM THROUGH THE SEASONS

A NEW ARBORETUM BETWEEN BERRY AND BOURGOGNE
(Text by Claudie and Pascale Adeline)

After 50 years of a life devoted to plants for Gérard and 35 years for Claudie, the Adelines are opening their Arboretum covering an area of 6 hectares.
This passion which drives them could not have been fulfilled without saving all the collections gathered over all those years, because their objective is the defence of biological diversity and our environment. Obviously all the plants exhibited are not yet mature but are plants that are 10 to 15 years old which have been transplanted and are accompanied and enhanced by certain trees planted in 1965.

Acer palmatum ssp. matsumurae - Arboretum Adeline ©

Arboretum Adeline ©

Arboretum Adeline ©
The interest in this Arboretum resides entirely in the wide diversity of its plants. So far we have gathered over 2000 species, but we do not yet have a major transplantation programme for large trees, shrubs and conifers. We lay great stress on the importance of dendrology, a science which, at a time when ecology is in vogue, does not occupy the position it deserves. The plants exhibited are those that live in a continental temperate climate. Of course we carry out resistance testes for certain plants by placing them in areas affording little protection.

Thus Sycopsis tutcheri, Magnolia campbelli, Cornus honkongiensis have shown good resistance to cold and Michelia yunnanensis as well as Eucryphia glutinosa have flourished extremely well. The fact that these plants are not too large offers the advantage that the details of the foliage, flowers and fruit can be observed with real pleasure.

Quercus palustris - Arboretum Adeline ©

Arboretum Adeline ©
All visits are guided, and Gérard and Claudie take great pains to explain to very visitor the origin of these plants, their requirements in terms of the nature of the soil and exposure, not forgetting their morphological specificities such as barks, flowers, fruit, etc. Their specific sexual characteristics are also of interest because certain plants are hermaphrodites, others being dioecious, require a male subject and a female subject in order to reproduce. Certain reproductive processes are highly delicate, such as that of Ginkgo Biloba. In fact, this plant, dating from the end of the Primary era, has a method of reproduction which is original to say the least. The female produces large “fruits”, in fact ovules which fall to the ground. There a small opening is formed allowing a little liquid to escape. The male disseminates its seed aerially, it is deposited onto the surface of this liquid, which returns to the inside of the ovule, and the entrance opening recloses immediately. Fertilisation takes place, but there are few selections because this archaic system is very random. There are a number of people who wonder about the adaptation of plants that originate from America as well as from the Middle East or Asia.

Ginkgo biloba 'Saratoga' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Liquidambar acalycina - Arboretum Adeline ©
During the major glaciations these plants disappeared from our European soils, but numerous fossils of Ginkgo biloba, Liquidambar and many other plants confirm their presence in Europe. This explains the perfect adaptation of these plants to our soils and our climates.
The Conservatory of Specialised Plant Collections (C.C.V.S.) has ratified our collections of Liquidambar and Ginkgo biloba (128 young plants of which we sent to engineers in Shandong, China, who only have the standard variety and a ‘King of Dongting’ female cultivar, particular attention being given to almonds) as National Reference Collections.

Tilia miqueliana - Arboretum Adeline ©
Elsewhere we have also been able to gather an approved collection of Tilia (lime), including Tilia miqueliana, a tree revered in China and planted around temples alongside Ginkgo biloba. In view of this accumulated knowledge and this passion that drives us, we should like this Arboretum to be a forum for all those, whether private individuals or professionals, who share this passion. One of our objectives would be to be able to communicate our knowledge through courses offered to young enthusiasts, who would in turn perpetuate this action and of course stimulate interest in children in an awareness of their environment. We should also like to improve the knowledge of the plant kingdom, biology and taxonomy, in particular by allowing our visitors to familiarise themselves with the botanical names, which are easy to remember as soon as it is understand how they are formed. It goes without saying that the list of our projects is extended each year and that the assistance of everyone will be welcomed as a contribution to their success.

Discover the Arboretum throughout the seasons

Discover in winter:
- the beauty of bark whose colours intensify with the cold: Acer wood in mottled grey, yellow gold or even Indian pink. Prunus serrula in gleaming mahogany, Prunus maackii or Fraxinus excelsior ‘Jaspidea’, tinged with yellow or gold amber.
The Stewartia, Pseudocydonia sinensis, Zelkova, whose bark breaks off in sheets, or Carya ovata, Heptacodium, whose bark exfoliates in vertical ribbons. Tilia cordata,‘Winter Orange’, appears as a bouquet of pink-orange twigs, whilst birches around the world display their bark unfurling in thin slivers.
- Winter is also the season of certain blooms such as the discrete flowering of Parrotia, the small round bouquets, pale yellow and the highly fragrant blooms of Edgeworthia. Not forgetting the flowers of Hamamelis with their fruity fragrance, Lindera, with the spicy fragrance, Viburnum, releasing a smell of almond or Sarcoccoca, which literally exudes perfume.

Heptacodium miconoides - Arboretum Adeline ©

Fraxinus excelsior 'Jaspidea' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Lindera benzoin - Arboretum Adeline ©

Zelkova schneideriana - Arboretum Adeline ©
Discover in March-April:
- the first blossoms of Rhododendron, and leading the way, R. calophytum and its large pink flowers, followed by R. augustinii and R. ‘Gristède’, in a deep blue, R. williamsianum, with lovely pink or white bells and R. diaprepes, originating from the mother plant from the Arboretum des Barres, producing large pure white flowers.
Then come the R. yaskushimanum, with a horizontal habit, whose long downy leaves form the backdrop to pink or white flowers. Of course we should not forget the azaleas, evergreen or deciduous, with their delicate fragrance, or the Pieris, with evergreen foliage and magnificent tassles of pink or white bells.
Finally there are the stellate, delicately perfumed flowers of the first magnolias; with small development for M. stellata, medium development for M. salicifolia and high development for the superb M. Kobus.

Cercis siliquastrum 'Alba' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Corylopsis sinensis 'Spring Purple' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Rhododendron diaprepes - Arboretum Adeline ©

Rhododendron yakushimanum 'Shuanense' - Arboretum Adeline ©
Discover in April-May:
- the majority of magnolias with flowers in more or less open cups offering us a range of colour from white to violet, through pale pink, bright pink and purple, not forgetting some species having flowers in yellow of varying intensity.
Their cousin, Miquelia yunnanensis, astounds us with its small cups in an immaculate white. Then there is the entire range of Cercis varieties (some originating from the Middle East, China, Iran, the United States or even Canada), whose wood, still bare, is covered with a multitude of small violet, purple or white flowers. Sporting a highly decorative Japanese habit, Prunus dazzle us with their cluster of flowers tinged so delicately with white, pink and straw yellow.
With the approach of Osmanthus and Viburnum, a soft honey fragrance pervades the atmosphere.

Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Cornus 'Stellar Pink' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Crataegus succulenta - Arboretum Adeline ©

Michelia yunnanensis - Arboretum Adeline ©

Prunus 'Shogetsu' - Arboretum Adeline ©
Discover in May-June:
- the American dogwoods (Cornus florida, the famous “dogwoods”), whose staggered branches bear small spherical flowers surrounded by decorative white, pale or dark pink overlapping bracts. The shrub chestnuts, Aesculus pavia, are adorned by with tassles of pink, orange or red flowers. The hawthorns (Crataegus sp) show off their small bouquets of white and pink flowers. The original bloom of Davidia involucrata, the handkerchief tree, enchants and surprises us.
The locusts (false acacias) produce wonderfully fragrant papilionaceous flowers range in colour from white to bright pink. The small ash, Fraxinus ornus or F. sieboldianus, display creamy white flowers in foaming clusters with an intensely sweet perfume.
Let us not forget the fragrant, charming blossoms of Styrax and Pterostyrax, which bloom in dropping white high bushes, nor those of Halesia with superb pure white clusters.
Formed into trees, or retaining their voluble appearance, wisteria (Wisteria sp.) combine the splendour of their white, pink or blue blossom with a captivating perfume.

Aesculus pavia - Arboretum Adeline ©

Aesculus x neglecta 'Erythroblastos' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Cornus kousa 'Steeple' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Cornus kousa - Arboretum Adeline ©

Magnolia 'Big Dude' - Arboretum Adeline ©
Discover in June-July:
- the Chinese dogwoods (Cornus kousa), with a more compact habit than that of their American counterparts and covered with a cluster of white or pink bracts. Having the advantage of blossoming once the last frosts have disappeared, the blossoms of the last magnolias M. x wiesneri, M. sieboldi, M. virginiana are seen in early summer, with delicately perfumed white flowers.
Their cousin, the tulip tree (Liriodendron), displays its flowers in an orange and green cup, whilst Eucryphia exhibits its small white single flowers in its heart with a bouquet of yellow stamens. As for the small white-green flowers of Ptelea, these release a honeysuckle fragrance and will then turn into clusters of small berries reminiscent of the “Money plant”.
The original dark red cup blossom is displayed, and when dried release the delicate scent of Calycanthus. The last dwarf buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, then deploys its elegant tassles of very light, fragrant, white flowers with pink stamens. Mention should also be made of the charming Zenobia with small white bells and silvery foliage, as well as the first blooms of Hydrangea, some of which bearing globular bulbous shells, others flat shells or even in tassles, which will enchant us until the first frosts.

Aesculus parviflora - Arboretum Adeline ©

Calycanthus floridus - Arboretum Adeline ©

Hydrangea paniculata 'Phantom' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Liriodendron tulipifera 'Crispum' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Magnolia x wiesnerii - Arboretum Adeline ©

Discover in July-August-September:
- the marvellous flowers of the Tilia henryana, a small Chinese lime tree that combines superb foliage with a multitude of clusters of highly fragrant pale yellow flowers. Clerodendron, whose highly perfumed flowers form pinkish white cymes to form original turquoise blue fruits. Similarly, Tetradium display high bushes of cream flowers which precede magnificent clusters of dark red fruit. The Koelreuteria have terminal tassles of yellow flowers which form pink, highly decorative pods. Then there are the Sophora, which are covered with a multitude of small yellow flowers, and the Clethra, with the delightful white or pink perfumed tassles.
Really splendid, Oxydendron displays its fragrant flowers in small creamy white drooping tassles mixing with the autumn foliage in a gradation of orangey pink and red. The Zanthoxylum fruit in large clusters of bright pink fruit with a sensational peppery fragrance.

Clerodendrum trichotomum - Arboretum Adeline ©

Clethra fargesii - Arboretum Adeline ©

Hydrangea aspera 'Taiwan Pink' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Stewartia pseudocamelia var. koreana - Arboretum Adeline ©

Tilia henryana - Arboretum Adeline ©
Discover in October-November:
- a firework display of autumn colours! In fact, each species races to be the first to exhibit the most sparkling foliage. If it is a contest between the oaks and maples, whether American or Asian, to display to us the most dazzling livery, there are a number of other competitors: Sassafras, with its orangey pink polymorphous leaves, the Nyasa and their foliage with its unique dark orange colour, the Carya, with their gold-tinged leaflets, or even the Cercidiphyllum, which envelop us with a diffuse fragrance of confectionery, seducing us with their yellow and pink hues. For their part, the American or Asian dogwoods combine their fruit with leaves of dazzling colours. The tulip trees are clad in deep yellow, and the Zelkova colour their superb leaves with a whole range of colours from orangey pink to bright red. The Pyrus bring up the rear, remaining always flamboyant, whilst almost all the other deciduous trees are already bare.
- This season is also that of the decorative fruits. Admire the red, yellow or orange fruit of the Malus and Crataegus, or even the bright red Viburnum berries. Virtually unmatched in their profusion, the small berries of the Callicarpa ripen in white, mauve or violet clusters. The glowing foliage of the mountain ash (Sorbus sp.) is often relieved by the bright colours of their small berries, but in some species delicacy is acceptable and the foliage with which the tree is adorned is white, pinkish white or pink in colour. Finally we would also like to draw attention to the beauty of the fruit of numerous spindle berries (Euonymus sp.), whose famous pure pink “bishop’s caps” open out into an orange arillus.

Carya ovata - Arboretum Adeline ©

Malus x robusta 'Yellow Siberian' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Oxydendrum arboreum - Arboretum Adeline ©

Quercus macrocarpa - Arboretum Adeline ©

Sorbus cashmiriana - Arboretum Adeline ©

Throughout the year:

- a number of plants are interesting because of their golden foliage (Robinia pseudoaccacia ‘Frisia’, Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’, Cornus mas ‘Aurea’, …) or because they are spotted or variegated with white (Ulmus procera ‘Argenteovariegata’, Castanea sativa ‘Albomarginata’, etc.)
The beeches (Fagus sp.) offer us so much choice in terms of their innumerable shapes and colours of their leaves (green, purple, golden yellow, edged in white, etc.) that it is impossible to mention them all there. Other genera such as Pseudocydonia, Nandina and many others besides have foliage that changes colour several times in a single year.
Finally, let us not forget the major class of conifers which play an essential role in structuring the entire arboretum. It is quite obvious that this has been but a brief overview of the collections exhibited in the Arboretum, the scope of which can only be ascertained by a personal visit.


Fagus sylvatica 'Greenwood' - Arboretum Adeline ©

Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Tricolor' - Arboretum Adeline ©


The Arboretum is open all year round by appointment, which can be made by telephoning 096-87-61-01-86.
It is located on the banks of the Cher, on the boundary of the Nièvre, and it is very easy to reach by taking the A 77 motorway and exiting at La Charité sur Loire.
You then cross the two Loire bridges and turn right on to the minor road below.
The entrance is 500 m on your left. Arboretum ADELINE 31 chemin du Ponit de la Batte 18140 La Chapelle Montlinard.
TEL: 06-87-61-01-86 – e-mail : gerard.adeline0400@orange.fr

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