Wandering through the arboretum (situated at the north end of the southern garden) from the west side you will first come across the Malus ‘Golden Hornet’. This is a really fantastic fruiter; it has small, fragrant, white flowers in May, and masses of yellow crab apples in the autumn. These cover the tree with little golden balls which look extremely pretty, especially on clear days. The fruits persist long after the leaves have fallen and are likely to stay on the tree till Christmas. Some crab apples can be used as universal pollinators for apple trees, and this is one of them.

To the left of the Malus, we have transplanted a Gingko Biloba from the north garden where it was positioned right against the boundary; it needs lots of space and should do better in this more open position. It is a conifer like no other, having deciduous leaves which are a fat, fan-shape. This tree is rare in that it is the only species to have survived within the genus and is ancient in origin. It is often referred to as a 'living fossil' and has lived unchanged for some 200 million years. It is said that in China, where the tree is often venerated, some specimens are 1,000 years old. Altogether a fascinating tree with its knobbly winter branches, fresh green spring foliage and butter yellow autumnal tints. The 'nut' is edible, when roasted, but the outer fleshy layer of the fruit smells quite rancid and unpleasant. So all fruiting to be discouraged! In fact it will only bear its green, plum-shaped fruits if both sexes are present (just like holly). A good fruiting specimen can be seen at a safe distance in Kew Gardens in the autumn.

Slightly further on is a fastigiate hornbeam, Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’. This tree has leaves very similar to a beech but more serrated and turning yellow and orange in the autumn, it also bears green catkins in the spring. This particular variety has a good pyramidal outline in its youth. The tree broadens as it matures making a fat, oval shape. It has a substantial and imposing presence and is frequently found in woodland in southern England, most notably in Epping, Hainault and Hatfield forests. It was widely coppiced in the past and the wood was used to make charcoal. Rather surprisingly a row of handsome specimens can be seen in Wickes carpark in Hove!

The Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum, had to be moved from the Upper East gate to this more sheltered position. The top had died completely from the salt winds, so we chopped it off, and it now seems to be making a valiant comeback! It has kidney-shaped leaves and a profusion of rosy red pea-shaped flowers which appear first giving a brilliant spectacle in the late spring garden. Its curious seedpods look like mangetout whose skin has been sprayed with metallic copper paint, and hang off the branches throughout the winter. The foliage turns a pretty chestnut in autumn however grown in chalk this colour may be slightly impaired. The flowers have a sweet acidic flavour and may be used to pep up salads. Its common name comes from the Biblical legend that this was the tree upon which Judas hanged himself.

Further on we come to Acer griseum, the paperbark maple. This too was moved from a less sheltered part of the garden to here. The leaves on maples scorch very easily at the best of times and exposed positions are to be avoided. It is mainly grown for its fabulous peeling bark which comes in shades of orange and brown; the old bark flakes away to reveal new cinnamon coloured bark beneath giving year-round interest. This particular variety has unusual leaves for a maple in that they are three lobed (trifoliate) rather than palmate. They are blue-green in colour fading to russet and red in autumn. The only drawback to this fine specimen is that it is very slow growing and the trunk of a young tree can take years to fill out and start peeling.

Nearby we have a well-established hawthorn or Crataegus tree. Hawthorn is almost invariably seen as a hedge, however it makes a fine tree with a good rounded dome shape and reaches a height of up to 6m (20ft). It is thorny, with pretty white May blossom which is fragrant and very pretty fine leaves which are almost pinnate and have a delicate, feathery appearance. It is covered in red berries in late autumn, beloved by birds, and indeed provides an important food source for them.

To the left we find our Antarctic beech, Nothofagus antarctica. This is a fine, slender tree with a good, conical shape. From a distance, with its uplifted branches and small, shiny green leaves it looks rather like a columnar conifer and is a very tough, hardy tree. The small leaves are oblong with a shiny surface and finely crinkled edges turning yellow and brown in the autumn. Stephen Lacey says that the leaves have the scent of pumpkin pie! The tree is found in the southernmost regions of South America, growing in the windy terrain of Tierra del Fuego, so it should survive Sussex Square! The bark of the tree is coloured a warm grey-brown.

Close by we come to our first arboretum residents, the three white-barked Himalayan birch, Betula utilis var. jacquemontii. This beautiful, slender tree has pure white peeling bark and delicate, conical leaves that are tinted gold in autumn. A favourite also with spring caterpillars who can strip a whole tree in two days. We were able to hose them off last year and preserved most of the leaves. Like other birches, this produces long dusty yellow catkins in spring.

Last but not least we have the small Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’, or redbud. It can reach 12m (40ft) in the wild though it usually remains a shrub in cultivation. The flowers are insignificant, but the plant is grown for its rich summer foliage and good autumn colour. Its foliage is reddish purple with large heart-shaped leaves which are extremely elegant and eye-catching, particularly when the light shines through them.

In planting these specimens we hope to have extended the season of interest in the garden as well as providing a reason to wander up to the top of the garden!

Donna Taplin April 2005