The Yorkshire Arboretum was created through the enthusiasm and partnership of George Howard (Lord Howard of Henderskelfe) and James Russell between 1975 and 1992. Formerly parkland around Castle Howard, the arboretum covers 120 acres and its unique collection of trees and shrubs is set in a landscape of sweeping vistas, lakes, wildflower meadows and ponds. The arboretum’s southern side is mostly quite heavy clay, while the north side is sandy. The different growing conditions offered by the two soil types were exploited by Jim Russell as he planted a growing collection of trees from the late 1970s onwards. A large number of interesting specimens came from Hillier Nurseries in 1979 and form the backbone of the collection, but since then the majority of trees planted have been of wild-origin, grown from seed collected by expeditions to many parts of the world, but especially China. Seed or young plants have come especially from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, but also from many other arboreta in the United Kingdom. The arboretum is open to the public every day from March 1st to November 30th. Admissions times, ticket prices and other information can all be found on our website.