The 24th of January 2025 and the name Éowyn will go down in infamy within the Garden’s history, alongside Storm Ophelia (2017) which also took champions from us. Like many areas in County Down Storm Éowyn gave us a devastating battering. Estimates of the damage in the wider forest park are that around 1,000 trees were blown down and it will be weeks before all the trails are accessible again. Damage was particularly bad along the Crow Road and Dolly’s Brae area. Staff and contractors have been working flat out to get the forest park into a state where it’s safe to open at least the Lake Path, which is our most popular walking route. Unfortunately, given the extent of the fallen and damaged trees, the walled garden won’t be reopened until the summer alongside access to the rhododendron wood.
Felled New Zealand collection
Within the Walled Garden and Arboretum, we estimate we have lost 10 to 15 champions, possibly more, as some areas are still inaccessible. Some of our largest trees lost only limbs, although some of those are the size of trees themselves. The bottom (southern) corner of the garden has largely been flattened, taking with it all of the New Zealand collection planted there. For the plant boffins we have lost Podocarpus, Picea, Nothofagus, Eucalyptus, Thuja and Fitzoya. For the not-plant-boffins, a selection of rare (to the UK) conifers including New Zealand White Pine and New Zealand Black Pine. We are hoping that the rarest shrub in the garden, Dracophyllum sinclairii (Gumland Grass Tree) will bounce back after being flattened under the fallen conifers as it is a fairly bouncy shrub; however, time will tell.
Our saddest loss is our iconic champion, Abies numidica (Algerian fir), planted by Thomas Ryan for Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl, in 1881. It has weathered many storms in it’s time but Éowyn was too much for it. In an unusual quirk, that falling trees sometimes do, Abies spared all the other specimens around it, as well as the Heron fountain, which it could have easily crushed if it had fallen even one metre to the right. Abies numidica is critically endangered, hailing from Mount Babor and Talahor in northern Algeria. On the bright side, the Gardening Team have around 10 small Abies in cultivation in the Bothy Yard, and they’ve also been collecting cuttings and seeds from the fallen giant in a bid to grow more.
Drone photo of fallen Abies numidica in Castlewellan Forest Park
Silver Linings of Storm Éowyn
When faced with such destruction it’s important to look for the positives:
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The fallen trees and limbs have given the Gardening Team an excellent opportunity to collect cuttings from the conifers for propagation. The Team and volunteers have recently participated in propagation training, so they’ll be able to put those skills to use straight away.
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More of the view of the Mournes from the Terrace has been revealed. In the early stage of the project, discussion was had about clearing or trimming some of the trees to reopen the view, however all the experts present had their favourite tree in the vista that ‘we couldn’t possibly touch’ so it was decided to leave the view as was.
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In an unusual turn of events the Upper Garden suffered no significant damage, it just got very wind swept.
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Upon initial inspection it appears that the wall in the bottom quadrant has stayed standing in its entirety as the wind-break trees crashed over it, snapping in two rather than knocking the wall down. We won’t know if this is indeed the case until the downed trees are cleared away but as they are all sticking up in a straight line, we are very hopeful.
To hear from Alwyn Sinnamon, Head Gardener at Castlewellan Forest Park, please watch the videos below:
Located on Forest Park View, Castlewellan, County Down, in a dramatic setting of mountains and sea, Castlewellan Forest Park has one of the most outstanding tree and shrub collections in Europe. The beauty, vigour and perfect shape of the trees in the National Arboretum attract tree enthusiasts from around the world.
