Rannametsa Arboretum

The Rannametsa Arboretum is located on the plot of the Rannametsa Farm in Vintri Village, Saaremaa Parish. The plot sized a few hectares is surrounded by a deciduous forest on three sides and the Gulf of Riga in the southeast. Therefore, the springs come late and the autumns are relatively long and warm. An arboretum is used to try out rare and somewhat cold-sensitive coniferous and deciduous tree species, their subtypes, varieties and sorts, and for identification of less cold-sensitive ones and growing them in the local climate.

The first non-native tree species were planted at the end of the 1990s when the family started building a home at Rannametsa. As their interest grew, various conifer types were planted, as well as types suitable for growing in beds, such as false cypresses and junipers. In 2007, more intensive landscaping works were started, plants brought in from Latvia and Poland and ordered from the Netherlands, England and Germany.

The Rannametsa Arboretum is particularly beautiful in the autumn

In December 2017, more than 1,000 taxa were counted, of which 300 are deciduous trees. Of the latter, the following grow decently in open areas:

• Chilean pine (Araucaria araucana),
• Chinese fir Cunninghamia lanceolata of the cypress family,
• Metasequoia glyptostroboides and its species, of the dawn redwood family,
• golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis),
• Japanese umbrella-pine (Sciadopitys verticillata),
• giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum),
• bald cypress (Taxodium distichum).

There are about 200 maple taxa listed. Some of the semi-tropical species grow in containers and hibernate in the cold greenhouse in the winter. In addition, the species growing rather well so far include Bodinier’s beautyberry, redbuds, flowering dogwood and kousa dogwood, corylopsis, dead man’s fingers, dipteronia sinensis, silverbell, magnolia, London planetree, etc. Many of them bloom and grow fruits.

There is a lot to admire in the garden, especially in the autumn. Besides the maple-trees, spindletrees, Persian ironwood and a few oaks are boasting their bright autumn colours then. The rose of Sharon blooms every year in September.

Additional info

How to get here? The Rannametsa Arboretum is located on Sõrve Cape, about 35 kilometres from Kuressaare.