Dendro Day marked with planting of rare Chilean tree

The first Sunday in March, it is the time for late planting of bare rooted stock and a chance to inspect recently planted trees.

At Little Friars, Dendro Day this year was marked by the Bucks Tree Club with the planting of a rare Chilean tree - Nothofagus dombeyi - celebrated by friends and members with a glass of an aperitif that had been brought from Chile and was served with hot nibbles and coffee.

Nothofagus is in the beech family and grows in the west of Argentina, in the southern Andes. This evergreen species was named in 1827 after the French surgeon botanist, Joseph Dombey and introduced around 1916. The biggest specimen in England is at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria.