There are a number of fine specimen trees in the College grounds. Among these are two species of deciduous conifer in the Fellows’ Garden.

The riverside swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum) long predates Willmer’s plan. On a bright day in Michaelmas term, admire its red autumn foliage against a blue sky.

Near the centre of the garden stands the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). A gift to the College, the tree was planted here in 1948. It was grown from seed collected on an expedition to China, where the tree had been discovered only a few years earlier. It had previously only been known through fossil evidence, and was thought to be have been extinct for the last 5 million years. Two other ‘related’ Dawn Redwoods, originating from the same plant collecting expedition, can be found in Cambridge – in the University’s Botanic Garden and in Emmanuel College. Current data suggests that Clare’s Dawn Redwood is the second tallest in the country.