Arboretum Wespelaar, Botanical garden and arboretum in Wespelaar, Belgium

Arboretum Wespelaar is a 20-hectare arboretum north of the Herkenrode estate in Wespelaar, Flemish Brabant. It holds about 2,000 to 2,200 taxa of trees and shrubs from temperate regions worldwide, with particularly strong collections of Acer, Magnolia, Rhododendron and Stewartia. Plants are spaced to show their natural form and are labelled, and a walking sheet from reception points out notable species of the moment.

The grounds were once the private property of Elisabeth Willems, Viscountess de Spoelberch, whose descendants kept the castle as a residence. Philippe de Spoelberch, her great-grandson, began the arboretum in 1984 as an extension of his dendrological collections north of Herkenrode. In 2007 the collections were donated to the Foundation Arboretum Wespelaar, set up to secure their future and arrange public opening, which came in 2011.

The arboretum's plants are all labelled, and the collection database can be consulted on its website. At reception visitors receive a walking sheet pointing out the notable species in leaf or flower at that moment. Many magnolias were selected and named here, the best known being the yellow Magnolia 'Daphne'.

The arboretum is open to the public only on Wednesdays and Sundays, from 1 April to 15 November. At reception visitors receive a walking sheet pointing out the notable species in bloom at that moment. Plants are individually labelled and the collection database can be consulted on the arboretum's website.

Staff members undertake expeditions to different countries to collect plants and document their wild origins. This fieldwork helps preserve knowledge about natural plant populations that might otherwise be lost.