Springhill Stories

Before I take a blog break to concentrate on our big move from the city to the countryside, I would like to share one more nice place to visit : the arboretum of Wespelaar. This visit more than exceeded our expectations as this arboretum is not really that known to the public. It all began in the 70’s as a private dendrological collection of nobleman Philippe de Spoelberch on the large family estate of Herkenrode. de Spoelbergh, a dendrologist himself, donated part of the estate and the collection to the Foundation Arboretum Wespelaar in 2001 to guarantee the future of the collection and to prepare opening the arboretum to the public. So in 2011 the Arboretum finally opened. Their mission is still to expand the collection and to gain more knowledge about all woody plants in temperate climate zones. Also conservation of threatened species is part of the goal of the arboretum.

In a very beautiful setting of a 20 hectares landscape park you can stroll and admire more than 2000 different species. Especially Acer, Magnolia, Rhododendron and Stewartia are well presented. In addition you’ll find some very pretty flower beds near the entrance zone, with a wide range of perennials. The friendly people at the entrance told us we should definitely come back in autumn for the beautiful autumn colors and in Spring for the blooming magnolias. Although we were not there at the best moment, it was more than worthwhile a visit and very inviting to come back in the future.

The only minor point is the limited opening hours (Wednesday and Sunday). So plan your visit well.

Arboretum Wespelaar : Grote Baan 63 – B-3150 Haacht-Wespelaar – Belgium

Opening Hours : Wednesdays and Sundays from April 1st to November 15th, from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M

Entrance Fee : 5 euro

http://www.arboretumwespelaar.be/EN/