The grounds used to be private property of Elisabeth Willems, Viscountess de Spoelberch. their descendants keptthe castle as private residence. The arboretum was started in 1984, as an extension of the dendrological collections of Philippe de Spoelberch, to the north of his estate of Herkenrode. In 2007, the arboretum and its collections were donated to the Foundation Arboretum Wespelaar which was set up to guarantee the future of the collections and arrange for their opening to the public in 2011. Some 2000 different taxa can be seen on the 20 hectare grounds.
Collection
The arboretum brings together trees and shrubs from around the world which can survive in the temperate Belgian climate. Arboretum Wespelaar houses many woody species large and small, including common and rare species, especially those that are threatened in the wild. Some genera are particularly well represented: Acer, Magnolia, Rhododendron and Stewartia. In addition to these, you will find good collections of other genera such as: Betula, Carpinus, Euonymus, Ilex, Tilia, Viburnum, Quercus, Styrax etc. The Arboretum is also known for its yellow flowering Magnolias. Many Magnolias have been selected and named at the Arboretum, with the yellow Magnolia 'Daphne' being the most famous. Many of Arboretum Wespelaar's trees and shrubs are to be found on the Red List of the IUCN. By giving priority to wild collected plants, identified as endangered or critically endangered on these lists, the Arboretum hopes to contribute to the conservation of such plants. Arboretum Wespelaar is a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, an international non-profit organisation that exists to ensure the worldwide conservation of threatened plants. Arboretum Wespelaar is a part of ArbNet, an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta. Through ArbNet, arboreta around the world collaborate to conserve trees and tree collections. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards. There are 4 levels of accreditations, within which Level 4 is the highest level. Since 2016, Arboretum Wespelaar has been awarded a Level 4 Accreditation.
