Hergest Croft Garden in Autumn

Magnificent trees lend such great distinction to a landscape and the gardens at Hergest Croft are an incomparable treasure trove of rare trees and shrubs planted since Victorian times. ‘My grandfather introduced many new plants brought back from China during the early 1900s by the plant-hunter, Ernest Wilson,’ explains Lawrence Banks who, together with his wife Elizabeth Banks have cared for the 70-acre garden and arboretum since 1988, home to many champion trees. Many of these introductions have now grown into towering rhododendrons and exotic trees that fill the secluded woodland valleys, creating scenes that are, says Lawrence, more reminiscent of the Himalayas than the Welsh Marches.