A dilemma facing us in the lead up to opening this season has been the fate of the beautiful Cedar tree at the entrance to the Gardens. Entering the Gardens through the Sunset Gate alongside the Garden Terrace Room, the visitor is greeted by this remarkable tree, one of four of the finest trees in the main part of the formal Gardens. The tree suffered badly during the unusual snowfalls of the winter, and our tree surgeon’s opinion was that we should consider taking it down, as it was nearing the end of its natural life. The alternative, he said – if we wanted to maintain access beneath it – was £5,000/£6,000 worth of surgery, which would include removing its spectacular crown and severely reducing the weight on its broad majestic branches.
A second expert opinion confirmed this diagnosis, and took us further – as a consequence of the Gardens’ Conservation Area status – by removing the first option. It was mutilate or quarantine. Cost aside, no one in the team here could conscience the miserable prospect of mutilating this magnificent ancient tree, and so the decision was made to quarantine. With three weeks to go before our opening weekend, we began digging up the existing entrance path, blocking access to all areas beneath the tree, and creating a new entrance path that makes a sharp right from the Sunset Gate into the Gardens.
As so – from a distance – this lovely Cedar of Lebanon is still there for visitors to the Gardens to admire, proud and presentable, in its grand old age.
Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com