Trees in parks and gardens 2010

[Maggi Young]

Ian and I firmly believe that no garden, of whatever size, is a real garden without a tree... or preferably, trees!

Even if one's passion is for the tiniest plants of the world, in a domestic setting the appearance can be too stark if there is no height and lush top story provided by some sort of tree. ]
I know that on a windswept mountain top there  are no trees, but most of us are not gardening in those situations!

Even a small tree, an acer or sorbus for instance, will create a more pleasureable atmosphere in our gardens.
Ian is addicted to  growing tree seeds, luckily I have managed to curtail this to acer and sorbus varieties, that we are able to accomodate here, at least for a time!  
It is great fun to  have grown a tree from seed, as Paddy says.... if you think of the fun and achievement we can get from growing little plants from seed, then a tree is somehow that feeling , multiplied.... I suppose it must be the "hope for the future" effect.... gaining a measure of immortality through the growing tree! 

[ArnoldT]

Paddy:

I have a Evodia Daneilli that has white flowers.  Flowers at about five years old.  Planted for its flowers that attract bees for miles.  Beekeepers call it the "bee bee" tree.  I believe the Asians use the seeds as a herbal remedy.

Arnold

[Paddy Tobin]

Arnold,

You have done very well to flower the Euodia so quickly. It must be a beauty! Mine is surely approaching ten years from germination so it surely (says I hopefully) will flower shortly. Fingers crossed.

A photograph of your white-flowered Euodia in due time would be lovely.

Just had a look at "Hilliers" - our equivalent to your "Dirr's" - where it is described as having white flowers. Obviously, I am mixed up here. Certainly, the tree I see in the garden mentioned above has red flowers and this is what led me to expect red but perhaps I will have white.

Hilliers lists Euodia hupehensis and Euodia velutina but then gives Tetradium daniellii as as the latest name for both.

Dirr lists Evodia daniellii (=Tetradium daniellii) and Evodia hupehensis and comments that this latter may simply be an ecotype of the former.

Paddy

[ArnoldT]

Paddy:

The flower buds are a tight bunch and open white.  I grew mine from seed and actually planted one one the apron between sidewalk and street.  It has done well as you can see from the pictures.

Arnold

[ArnoldT]

Sorry.

Arnold

[Paddy Tobin]

That really is doing well for you, Arnold, far better than mine which hasn't reached that height at all. Actually, it branched low down and lacks the nice leader your specimen has.

Good one!

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Although my garden has a sprinkling of srubs I have only one tree Cornus controversa 'Variegata', commonly known, for fairly obvious reasons as The Wedding Cake Tree.

[Paddy Tobin]

A good one, David.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Although my garden has a sprinkling of srubs I have only one tree Cornus controversa 'Variegata', commonly known, for fairly obvious reasons as The Wedding Cake Tree.

Now that's what  I call a cake!

[David Nicholson]

 

[Regelian]

Guys and Gals,

we really do need to maintain a thread simply about trees!  These are simply one of the most magnificent creations of mother nature and, even for those that only really nurture the small and meek of the rock garden, cannot be relegated to the non existentsia.  What would our gardens be, without but a few stately arbourvitae.  We should maintain a thread for these centenary wonders, even if they play only a minor role for many.  After all, without them we wouldn't be able to breathe!

Paddy,  I want some seeds!   

Seriously, we all have selected a few trees to balance our gardens.  We should report on their seasonal beauty.  Finding the best possible tree for a specific position is best conveyed through other members experience, don't you all agree?

[Paddy Tobin]

Jamie,

Certainly, I would expect the bigger chestnuts to set seed but that small one has never done so. Such a pity.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Another nice set, Armin. My son and I went for a walk this afternoon and Leucanthemum vulgare were well into flower. Hyacinthoides non-scripta grows very, very well here and we take care to remove the flower heads as soon as the flowers wither as they can seed about vigorously.

Following on the tree theme of a few posts back:

First Evodia daniellii for Arnold - not as nice a specimen as yours, Arnold, but I have hopes that it will flower in due course. Jamie, take note of the small Horse Chestnut, Aesculus mutabilis induta, on the right hand side of the bed.
Laburnum with Allium 'Purple Sensation' in the foreground
Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold'. Members in the USA will probably be amazed that I would give A. negundo garden space as I believe it is a weed species with you but they never seed about here.
Azara dentata - good flower set this year.
Laburnum again
Cornus alternifolia and Abies koreana
Fraxinus retusa var Henryi - quite a different flower to the usual ash here
Acer 'Brilliantissimum'
Cornus 'Porlock' - first flowers on a plant bought in spring '09

[Paddy Tobin]

Aesculus mutabilis induta

The foliage in the bottom right hand corner is of colchicum, which give something by which to judge the size of this shrub. As  you see it is a very small horse chestnut but full of flower.

The foliage behind is of a rheum.

Paddy

[cohan]

a few things from may--starting with a couple that fit with the recent woody theme.
pics 1-5 Shepherdia canadensis a common local shrub, charming in a very low key way; tough to shoot the whole thing, especially while in flower with no leaves; sort of a many branched candelabra shape, somewhat sprawling, especially in semi/shady spots where it often grows; in the open, its more dense..
the microscopic flowers are among the earliest, edible but saponin rich berries come later, but are much scarcer than the flowers, since most of the bushes are male!
pics 6-8 Salix sp a smaller plant in all regards than the first salix i posted; bright yellow stems and tons of bright yellow pollen giving them a glow even from a distance..