Recent news articles and up and coming events
KMOTT Invitation to Palmstead Nurseries
We are delighted to announce details of an additional KMOTT day trip and invite our members to join this excursion. Travel by car. Meet at 2.00 pm Sat 31 August 2024 Palmstead Nurseries, Harville Road, Wye, Ashford TN25 5EU Car parking on site. Refreshments will be provided. No dogs on site, please. Palmstead is a…
Knole Park 10th July 2024
This was an opportunity to visit the oldest deer park in the UK, which, as was very evident even on arrival, still houses a group of Fallow deer living wild in the 900 acre park. Our group of 18 visitors was hosted by a team of three responsible for management and health of the estate…
Sandling Park visit – 8 May 2024
After a prolonged wet and dull Spring, the weather in May was presenting a much more friendly face when a group of 18 members visited Sandling Park, near Hythe. This estate has been in the Hardy family since the late 19th century, and the gardens date back to that time. Successive members of the family…
AGM 2024 Presentation by Dan Luscombe
Kent Men of the Trees held it’s Annual General Meeting at Lenham on Saturday 13th April which was well attended by members. After formal business, members were delighted to receive a presentation by Dan Luscombe, Curator of Bedgebury National Pinetum. Dan gave a fascinating illustrated presentation on ‘Discover Bedgebury National Pinetum and it’s role in…
A thank you from Debbie Burton
As members will be aware our Administrator and Treasurer Debbie Burton stepped down at the end of December after seven years service to Kent Men of The Trees. We are pleased to welcome her as a new member and delighted she could join us at the AGM, George Kirby announced that as a thank you,…
Planting ceremony for Canterbury campus ‘river of vegetation’
The University is creating a ‘river of vegetation’ across the Canterbury campus. The ‘river’ has been developed by the Sustainability Team and Landscape and Grounds Team to act as natural signposting and a wildlife corridor between two flagship project areas that celebrate biodiversity, community engagement and sustainable food – the Kent Community Oasis Garden and…
A thank you from Brockhill Country Park
George Kirby the Chair of Kent Men of Trees, joined volunteers to plant one of the trees we gifted to them. Four trees were gifted, all of which have now been planted in the Brockhill Valley. The English Oak, Field Maple, Hornbeam, and this magnificent Scot’s Pine have plenty of space, so they can mature…
Wiltshire – a county of chalk landscapes and white horses!
Our long trip this season was to the County of Wiltshire with a full schedule of visits to enjoy. Our journey to our base near Corsham involved a slight dog-leg via Salisbury, to visit the ancient and supremely impressive cathedral. The building is a beautiful example of [perpendicular] architecture with an immensely long arching nave. …
Visit to Bedgebury Pinetum – 13 September 2023
Many people visit Bedgebury every year, and probably understand that this is the National Pinetum…but do not have the pleasure and privilege of being shown around by the Curator, Dan Luscombe. Dan has been the Curator for a number of years, and is passionate in his enthusiasm for the conifer world, visiting countries across the…
Alun Griffiths sadly retires from KMOTT Committee
Alun Griffiths – Chairman 2003 to 2022 Alun Griffiths left for Malaya in 1960, having finished his post-doctoral studies at Oxford. He spent 8 years working at the leprosy hospital in Sungei Buloh, after which he re-located with his family to Melbourne, Australia, and there developed a group to study the ultra-structure of fungi. After…