Among the many entertainments on offer at Toby’s new Garden & Harvest Fest this autumn, comes the opportunity to learn about Forde’s fascinating tree collection with Kevin Croucher, owner with wife Pat of famous Devon tree nursery, Thornhayes.

Kevin will lead the Tree Tour of Forde’s unusual specimens which include Red Oak, Swamp Cypress, Montezuma Pine and Cut-leaved Lime.

Kevin says:

“There is a very diverse collection of trees from all over the world at Forde Abbey, and planted over three to four centuries. Some are very large impressive specimens. They warrant a separate visit in their own right, besides all the other things to see at the festival.”

Kevin’s Tree Tour will last around an hour and will focus on the tree’s beauty in its own right, its origin and plant-hunting history, the significance of both native and exotic trees in the environment, with a brief touch on climate change and species selection.

Kevin Croucher’s passion for trees started at a young age, as he was known to gurgle at them from his pram. Though still passionate about trees, he admits he probably wouldn’t fit in the pram any more! By his mid-twenties Kevin was designing large scale tree planting on new dual carriageways in the Midlands; moving on to being a local authority tree officer in Somerset, before taking up teaching horticulture at Bicton College.

Now over sixty, thousands of trees in the landscape of Britain are the result of Kevin’s advice, designs and propagating knife. He is able to offer sound advice on a whole range of horticultural areas, from management of park and woodland trees, through landscape and garden design, down to the smaller scale such as pruning fruit trees or growing vegetables. His knowledge of trees and shrubs is verging on the encyclopaedic. http://www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

There’s no need to book the Tree Tour, just turn up on the day. Free to Festival-goers.